Looking Back at Ping Pong in 2022

Veteran becomes stronger and newcomer transforms into national table tennis, interpreting its everlasting prosperity

　　With the end of the 2022 Table Tennis Super League, all the tasks of the Chinese table tennis team this year have come to an end.

The national table tennis team has achieved dazzling results this year and defended the glory of the national game with practical actions.

The Paris preparation cycle has begun, and the competition has become more brutal.

There is not much time to rest. At present, more than 60 athletes and coaches of the first and second national table tennis teams have arrived in Hainan for winter training, preparing for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At the same time, the competition for the national table tennis coaching staff has also started. To meet the strategic goal of five Olympic gold medals, longevity will be the greatest pursuit of generations of national table tennis players.

　　The report cards of the men's and women's teams are both impressive

　　Throughout 2022, the Chinese table tennis team's report card is very impressive.

In the 56th World Table Tennis Team Championships, many main national table tennis players continued to perform well. The National Table Tennis Men's Team achieved ten consecutive championships in Chengdu and won the Swaythling Cup for the 22nd time.

But they went through a big challenge in the semi-finals. Japanese player Zhang Benzhi and Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong scored 2 points in a row. The two sides reached the final set. After Wang Chuqin defeated Togami Hayabusa, the Chinese team won 3-2. Narrowly defeated the Japanese men's team and entered the final.

　　On the other hand, the National Table Tennis Women's Team is still invincible, and it can be said to be invincible. It won all eight games in the Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships without losing a set.

In the final, the Chinese women's table tennis team achieved five consecutive championships with zero defeats to the Japanese women's team. It was also the 22nd time that they won the Colbylon Cup, demonstrating their dominance.

　　Wang Chuqin's career change

　　In addition, the brand new WTT series Grand Prix launched in 2022 has played an important role in training and motivating the national table tennis players.

In terms of the men's line, the National Table Tennis Team is facing a severe situation of alternation between the old and the new. Facing the impact of players from foreign associations, it is becoming more and more difficult to win the men's singles championship.

The biggest winner of the entire series this year is undoubtedly the 22-year-old Wang Chuqin. He has won the Macau Championship in January, the Budapest Star Challenge Championship in July, and the men's singles championship in the WTT Macau Championship in October.

The WTT World Cup final held in Xinxiang on October 30 was the final battle of the Chinese table tennis team this season. In the final, Wang Chuqin reversed the Japanese team's number one men's single Tomokazu Harimoto 4-2 in the final and won the title again.

Wang Chuqin gained 1,500 points in the world ranking during the season, and also advanced to the top three in the world ranking for the first time.

　　It can be said that 2022 is a year of transformation in Wang Chuqin's career. Not only has he entered the ranks of top players in men's table tennis, he has also gained a firm foothold in the transition from old to new in China's men's table tennis, and his position as a future leader is beginning to emerge.

　　"Male No. 1" Fan Zhendong is very stable

　　The most important Singapore Grand Slam in this year's WTT series, the men's singles championship was won by Fan Zhendong. As a result, he won 2,000 points and has been ranked first in the world for a long time.

Although there were ups and downs in his state after returning to the game in October, Fan Zhendong has always maintained a very clear mind, and his state has gradually recovered.

In the men's singles final of the 2022 National Table Tennis Championships, Fan Zhendong defeated his teammate Lin Gaoyuan 4-2 and won the most important gold medal in this tournament.

In the Table Tennis Super League, although Fan Zhendong did not help the team win the championship, he won the MVP for the fourth time with his outstanding singles strength, which shows that Fan Zhendong's status as the "male number one" is still unshakable.

As he is about to celebrate his 26th birthday, he is in the best period of his career. With him, the championship of Chinese men's table tennis will be guaranteed.

　　Although the double-lap Grand Slam winner Ma Long is 34 years old, he has no intention of stopping his career and still maintains a strong competitiveness. He is ranked second in the singles world.

More importantly, today's Ma Long is more like a spiritual leader in the Chinese table tennis team, who can set an example for many athletes and point out the direction.

　　The women's team successfully completed the replacement of old and new

　　In contrast, the current national table tennis women's team has successfully completed the transition from old to new, and its dominance is even more amazing. It occupies five seats in the top ten in the world, and Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi take the top four.

Among them, Sun Yingsha ushered in a big explosion in 10 points, winning consecutive WTT Macau Championships and WTT Xinxiang World Cup Finals. The two championships won 2,500 points, firmly occupying the world's number one throne.

World No. 2 Chen Meng broke the championship shortage at the Singapore Grand Slam at the beginning of the year and won 2,000 points.

In addition, she also reached the final of the WTT Xinxiang World Cup Finals and scored 1050 points. The main position of the national table tennis team is unshakable.

　　After experiencing the tempering of the Tokyo Olympics, Wang Manyu also achieved corner overtaking. She won the World Table Tennis Championships singles championship earlier than Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha.

At the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston, she fought on three fronts and was finally crowned the women's singles and women's doubles champions, becoming the biggest winner.

Wang Manyu's world ranking also closely follows Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng, continuing to rank third.

Now Wang Manyu is facing the problem of changing the head coach, which is a new challenge for her.

　　Will move to Hainan for winter training

　　After the end of the 2022 Table Tennis Super League, the national table tennis general will directly transfer from Weihai, Shandong to Hainan for winter training, fully preparing for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It is reported that the head coaches of the men's and women's teams, Qin Zhijian and Li Sun, led Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu, as well as 31 first-team players in winter training in Lingshui, and another part of the players in winter training at Hainan Sports Vocational and Technical College.

After a period of closed training, the national table tennis will embark on the journey of the new season.

The Asian Trials for the Durban World Table Tennis Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar from January 7th to 13th next year. This is also the first match of the new national table tennis season.

Entering the Paris Olympic cycle, national table tennis faces new challenges and still needs to stay ahead and move forward.

　　Text/Reporter Zhou Xueshuai

　　"Beijing Youth Daily" December 26, 2022, page A06