In this post, I will go through who I think are the top 10 table tennis players of all time, the Messi and Ronaldo's of table tennis. I will take into consideration their individual trophy cabinet, longevity, rankings when they were active and their overall playing ability on the table. A few of the players on the list are still currently playing though most of them have already retired.
Before we begin, some honourable mentions include Zoran Primorac, Xu Xin, Timo Boll and Werner Schlager.
Number 10: Vladimir Samsonov
Having just announced his retirement before the Olympics started, the Belarusian giant is one of the best European players of all time. He makes it on this list because of his incredible longevity in the game and his all around steady mix of offensive and defensive play. Staying at the top 10 in the world for 15 years is an amazing feat by itself but he also holds the second most ITTF Pro Titles (27) right behind Ma Long. Other notable achievements include being the number 1 ranked player in the world and three Table Tennis World Cups.
Number 9: Wang Liqin
With a whopping 3 World Championships and 2 Olympic Bronzes, Wang Liqin is known for is incredible reach around the table because of his 6 foot 1 height. His height also gave him better acceleration for his forehand which made him have one of the most powerful forehands in the world. He held the number one position in the world for the second longest amount of time for a whopping 25 months and has a solid 21 ITTF Pro Titles in his trophy cabinet. He ranks at number 8 because even though he had a successful career, his trophy cabinet isn't as good as the rest of the list.
Number 8: Wang Hao
Known for having one of the best reverse penhold backhands, Wang Hao is one of the best penholders of all time and best players of all time. With 3 World Cups and a World Championship, the only thing stopping him from the coveted Grand Slam was the Olympic Gold which he came close to 3 times. Unfortunately, he lost in all 3 finals in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He has 8 ITTF Pro Titles and sat at the top of the world rankings for around 2 years before being overthrown by his fellow teammate, Ma Long. He ranks at this position because of how close he was to joining the Grand Slam Club.
Number 7: Ma Lin
In my opinion the best penholder of all time, Ma Lin is known for his tricky to receive 'ghost serves' which automatically gave him an advantage before the rally started. Ma Lin has an Olympic Gold accompanied by 4 World Cups, joint most with Fan Zhendong, but fell short 3 times in the World Championship finals in 1999, 2005 and 2007. He is the closest ever player to win a Grand Slam only missing the World Championship title. Like Wang Hao, he ranks at this position because of how close he was to joining the Grand Slam Club. He edges over Wang Hao because of his Olympic Gold in 2008.
Number 6: Kong Linghui
Sitting at number 6 we have the Chinese paddler, Kong Linghui. Kong Linghui is one of the members of the Grand Slam Club, winning an Olympic Gold in 2000, World Cup in 1995 and the World Championship in 1995. Unlike many of his Chinese counterparts, Kong plays more passive and less aggressive using more blocking and playing a more balanced style. He would have ranked higher if he peaked for a longer period of time and dominated like the players above did.
Number 5: Fan Zhendong
The current number one in the world, Fan Zhendong is only 25 but has already achieved so much more than many other players older than him. The leader of China's next generation, Fan Zhendong has already won 3 World Cups and 15 ITTF Pro Titles and just recently added an Olympic Silver to his own trophy cabinet. He is the current number 1 in the world and has already beaten the likes of Ma Long and many other top players. The only reason he isn't higher on the list is because we haven't seen everything he has to offer yet with many more years of his career.
Number 4: Liu Guoliang
The current president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, Liu Guoliang was also the head coach for the Chinese National Team when he was just 27 in 2003. A respected figure in the Chinese and international table tennis scene, Liu was the winner of the 1996 World Cup, the 1999 World Championship and the 1996 Olympics. The second ever player to achieve the Grand Slam, Liu retired at a young age of 25 after already achieving what many other players could dream of in the span of 5-6 years.
Number 3: Zhang Jike
Explosive footwork, powerful forehands and rapid backhands is what lands Zhang Jike number 3 on the list. Being the fastest player to achieve the grand slam (445 days), Zhang has slowly faded away from the table tennis scene though he never officially announced his retirement. With 2 World Cups, 2 World Championship and an Olympic Gold, Zhang, in my opinion, is the most physically capable player and was psychologically very strong as well during his peak. Sadly, we barely got to see much of him at his peak and I think he would have finished higher on the list if he peaked for a longer period of time and did not leave the table tennis scene that early.
Number 2: Jan Ove Waldner
Playing across almost 4 decades, the Mozart of table tennis was the first player to win a Grand Slam in 1992 and is the only non Asian player to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Retiring in 2016, the Swedish legend has 2 World Cups, a World Championship and an Olympic Gold medal. Known for his insane blocks and his cheeky placement, the Swede has won over 10 Swedish Single Championships spanning across 3 decades from 1980 to 2010. He would have ranked higher if it wasn't for the next player......
Number 1: Ma Long
I'm not sure if it is a debate anymore, but Ma Long is the player who tops the list. With 2 Grand Slams, the Dictator destroys his opponents with his high toss serves, powerful spin heavy shots on both wings and a winner's mentality. Just when everyone thought his career was over, he came back and proved to the world that his career is far from over by winning the 2020 Olympics Gold. Being one of the most complete players of all time, Ma Long has a huge trophy cabinet to back him up. Winning 3 World Championships, 2 Olympics and 2 World Cups, the Dictator also has a whopping 28 ITTF Pro Titles, most in the world and 6 ITTF World Tour Finals to his name. Being the number one in the world consecutively for almost 3 years, I don't think any other player can come close to what he has achieved in his career.
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Image Sources:
Vladmir Samsanov -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrWHPzFA6KE
Fan Zhendong -
https://olympics.com/en/news/fan-zhendong-seals-mens-ittf-table-tennis-world-cup-weihai
Wang Liqin -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stx5cEV3bLo
Wang Hao -
https://olympics.com/en/news/golden-opportunity-wang-hao-table-tennis
Ma Lin -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Lin_(table_tennis)
Kong Linghui -
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d677a4d3341444e/share.html
Liu Guoliang - https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e7767444e7a457a6333566d54/share.html
Zhang Jike -
http://www.china.org.cn/sports/2018-05/25/content_51518972.html
Jan Ove Waldner -
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ode-to-jan-ove-waldner-the-mozart-of-table-tennis-who-changed-my-life-and-my-sport-dlbq8w2jk
Ma Long -
https://www.globaltimes.cn/galleries/3983.html
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