Top 10 Best Table Tennis Players Ever — Tabletennistop
Last Updated on May 28, 2021
In this article, we will talk about the 10 best table tennis players who have marked the history of this beautiful sport in the last 30 years.
What sets the top 5 apart from the others is that they are the only ones who have completed the table tennis “Grand Slam” until today. This happens when a player has to win at least one World Cup, World Championship, and Olympic Games in singles during his career.
Table tennis was first included in 1988 as an Olympic sport in Seoul. The only players who have all three trophies in their rich collection of awards are Jan — Ove Waldner, Liu Guoliang, Kong Linghui, Zhang Jike, and Ma Long.
In addition to the 5 greats, we must single out 5 other players who marked this era of table tennis, and they are Timo Boll, Wang Hao, Wang Liqin, Ma Lin, and Jorgen Persson.
1.JAN — OVE WALDNER
Former Swedish table tennis player, born on October 3, 1965, in Stockholm, Sweden. His nicknames are “Evergreen Three” and “Mozart Of Table Tennis.”
The way the racket is held, shakehand style. His service is of the highest quality, one of the best of all time. Apart from the service, an important part of the game was his block, which he could drive the opponent crazy. The sense of the game as well as the perfect prediction of points.
He played for table tennis clubs: Spårvägens Golf (Sweden), ATSV Saarbrücken (Germany), Ängby SK (Sweden), Kalmar BTK (Sweden), TTC Röhn-Sprudel Fulda Maberzell (Germany), Spårvägens BTK (Sweden).
As for the racket uses the DONIC brand, so the blade was Waldner Senzo Carbon and rubbers Coppa JO Gold on the forehand and Coppa JO Platinum on the backhand.
He is the first out of the five listed to win the “Grand Slam.” Waldner managed to do that in 1992 in Barcelona. In the same year, he was named Swedish Athlete of the Year. He is the only non-Chinese player to have completed these three tournaments.
Firstly, Jan — Ove Waldner is not only considered one of the best table tennis players in the world who played this game, but he is also the best European player of all time.
Secondly, he has ten titles of national champion of Sweden. During the ’90s of the last century, he showed a relationship with Persson, Apelgren, and Carlsson. In the team, he ruled the European world table tennis team.
Moreover, at the end of 2007, he ended his national team career, and on February 11, 2016, he officially announced that he had finished his playing career.
Waldner’s greatest successes
Olympics:
Single: 1. place; 1992 in Barcelona.
2.LIU GUOLIANG
The other player who succeeded in the “Grand Slam” was Liu Guoliang. He is a former Chinese national team player, born on January 10, 1976, in Xinjiang, China. His nickname is “Legend Liu.”
His racket style is Penhold. He had a very offensive style of play that was based near the table. In addition to the fantastic movement, his strongest weapons were service (which, along with Waldner’s best ever in the world), a strong forehand shot, and a backhand block.
He liked to use STIGA and TSP equipment the most. Racket: Played with the STIGA Clipper blade. On the forehand side, he used TSP Spinpips rubber, which had short fringes, making it very awkward. On the backhand side, he used a Yasaka Mark V rubber.
He played in the doubles with another “Grand Slam” winner, Kong Linghui. In 2003, he finished his playing career at the age of only 27 and dedicated himself to a coaching career.
Apart from considering him one of the best table tennis players of all time, the same goes for his coaching career. Moreover, leading the Chinese men’s national team as a national team coach, he won the Olympic Games, the World Championship, the World Cup, and the Asian Championship in singles, doubles, and team competitions.
In 2018, he became the president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association.
Liu Guoliang’s greatest successes
World Cup:
Single: 1. place; Nimes 1996.
3.KONG LINGHUI
The third winner of the famous “Grand Slam” is called Kong Linghui. He is also a former member of the Chinese national team, born on October 18, 1975, in Harbin, China. He is currently the coach of the women’s senior national team of China.
Kong Linghui used the shakehand way of holding the racket. An attacking style of playing table tennis. He used strong topspins from both the forehand and backhand sides. His most vital strength in the game was that “he knew all the elements equally well.”
He mostly played with equipment from the manufacturer Butterfly. Apart from winning the most important tournaments in singles and team competitions, Kong Linghui was an insurmountable obstacle in doubles. Together with Liu Guoliang, they were the World’s best doubles during the 1990s and early 2000s.
From the beginning of 1993 to December 1995, he spent the time at number one position on the world ranking list. Like Liu Guoliang, except that his showcases are full of trophies during his playing career, he continued to do so in coaching. Also, he won all possible medals with the Chinese women’s national team at the Olympic Games, the World Championship, and the World Cup.
During 2007, he stopped actively playing this sport at the age of only 30 and dedicated himself to the coaching profession.
Kong Linghui’s greatest successes
World Cup:
Single: 1. place; Nimes 1995.
4.ZHANG JIKE
Zhang Jike was born on February 16, 1988, in Qingdao, China. He started playing table tennis when he was only four years old. He was named after the Brazilian football player Zika.
His holding the racket is a shakehand grip. Zhang Jike was a very offensive player. He gained an advantage over his opponents with an excellent “banana” flip, a devastating backhand spin, and an excellent reverse serve. In some situations, he was adorned with calmness and coolness.
Behind him stands the Butterfly company. Racket: Viscaria FL blade, DHS Hurricane 3 forehand, and Butterfly Tenergy 80 rubber on the backhand. He played for Shandong Luneng.
He is known for winning the Grand Slam in just 445 days. World Championship and World Cup in 2011 and Olympic Games in 2012. He won five consecutive major tournaments in a row, from the 2011 World Cup to the 2013 World Cup.
From 2010 to 2017, he won everything in the team competition with Ma Long and Xu Xin. From their era begins the great era of Chinese table tennis, where they rule without equality.
Since 2018, due to constant injuries, his career has been in great decline. At the age of 30, he had to retire from the national team. Although he never officially said goodbye, he last defended the colors of China in July 2018. Zhang Jike is now more dedicated to the promotion and development of table tennis in China. He spent seven months in the number one position on the world ranking list.
Zhang Jike greatest successes
5.MA LONG
Ma Long is a Chinese player born on October 20, 1988, in Anshan, China. He is the last winner of the famous “Grand Slam.” He managed to achieve after Rio 2016. His nicknames are “The Dragon,” “Captain Long,” and “The Dictator.”
At the age of 15, he played in the Chinese Super League for the first time. He uses the shakehand way of holding the racket. Ma Long is best known for his devastating forehand and fantastic movement. However, many players told him the opening of the game after his serve was the strongest weapon.
Behind Ma Long is DHS equipment. Racket: Hurricane Long 5 blade, Hurricane 3 National rubbers at forehand and backhand sides. He is currently playing for Shandong Weiqiao. Many people even consider him the best player of all time.
Firstly, Ma Long is the youngest winner of the world team championship at only 17 years old. That happened in Bremen in 2006. He is the only player to have won 3 consecutive World Singles Championships (2015, 2017, and 2019).
Secondly, in January 2001, when the ITTF introduced the official ranking, Ma Long was the longest-time player in the number one position, even 64 months. From March 2015 to December 2017, he held the 1. place of the best table tennis players in the world (33 months in a row).
Moreover, the record-holder has won 35 sets in a row and has 28 titles on ITTF Pro-Tours. Ma Long is the captain of the Chinese national team. He won all the ITTF tournaments in singles. He is currently third on the ITTF rankings.
Ma Long’s greatest successes
6.TIMO BOLL
The German national team player was born on March 8, 1981, in Erbach, Germany. He started playing table tennis at the age of 4. His first coach was his father.
Timo Boll uses the shakehand way of holding the racket. His spins have a large rotation, and because of that, he is a very awkward opponent. Its biggest stack is the backhand spin, as well as a good variation of service.
He is sponsored by Butterfly and is the face of this company. Racket: The current Timo Boll ALC blade, forehand, and backhand rubbers are Dignics 09c.
For many years, he has been defending the colors of Borussia Düsseldorf, which is a multiple winner of the German League and the European Champions League. He is considered the best German table tennis player of all time. Boll is the most trophy-winning German player, as he is a seven-time winner of the European Singles Championship.
Apart from singles, he was the team champion of Europe 6 times and five times in the doubles competition. His biggest success in singles was winning two gold medals in the World Cup. He reached third place at the World Championships in Rotterdam in 2011.
Best hand switch shots ever — Timo Boll
In 2008, he won second place in the team part in Beijing. This is the greatest success of Germany in this century at the Olympic Games. The team consisted of Boll, Ovtcharov, and Suss.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the German national team took over the importance of European table tennis from the then powerful Swedes. Rosskopf and Suss initially formed a team with Boll, and later Ovtcharov and Franziska joined. He spent ten months at the number 1 on the world rankings.
Although 40 years old, he is still in the top 10 players in the world. He currently occupies the tenth position of the best table tennis players in the world according to ITTF ranking.
Timo Boll’s greatest successes
World Cup:
Single: 1. place; Jinan 2002 and Liege 2005.
7.WANG HAO
Wang Hao was born on December 15, 1983, in Changchun, China. The former member of the Chinese national team is the head coach of the Bayi team, which competes in the Chinese Superleague and is currently one of the assistants of this selection.
He used the Penhold style holding of the racket. In 1998, he joined the Chinese senior national team. Since his appearance at major world tournaments, the world public has been intrigued by the fact that both sides of the racket share both in attack and defense against opponents. So, this was not typical for the Penholders (previously, they only played with the forehand side).
His backhand is considered the best of all the Penholders who have played table tennis. He liked to use DHS equipment the most. Racket: DHS Wang Hao Blade N656 wood, and DHS Skyline III Blue Sponge rubbers on the forehand and Butterfly Sriver Topsheet on the backhand side.
The backbone of the team since the beginning of 2000 for Wang Hao consisted of Wang Liqin and Ma Lin. Although he is considered one of the best table tennis players in the 21st century, he still failed to complete the “Grand Slam.”
Wang Hao’s insurmountable obstacle was the Olympics. In all three tournaments in which he participated, he won second place in singles. Better than he was Ryu Seung Min in Athens in 2004, Ma Lin in 2008 in Beijing, and Zhang Jike in London in 2012.
Wang Hao spent 24 months in position number one. He is saying goodbye to the Chinese selection at the end of 2014.
Wang Hao’s greatest successes
Olympics:
Team: 1. place; Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
8.WANG LIQIN
Wang Liqin is a former table tennis player, born on June 18, 1978, in Shanghai, China. He is currently the coach of the Shanghai team that competes in the Chinese Super League. He is included in the ITTF Hall of Fame.
Wang Liqin started playing table tennis when he was only five years old. The former Chinese national team player is known for being included in the Chinese national team at the age of only 15, more precisely in 1993.
He uses the shakehand way of holding the racket. His style of play is recognizable by his exceptionally good movement and especially by his destructive forehand. He had one of the strongest forehands in the history of table tennis.
Wang Liqin played shakehand style. Throughout his career, he liked to constantly combine and change rubbers and blades from various table tennis companies.
From blades, he used Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit, Stiga Clipper CR, Offensive CR, Rosewood V, DHS Hurricane King II, III. From rubbers, he used DHS Hurricane II, III, TG III on the forehand. He had Nittaku Hammond on the backhand, also rubbers from the Tenergy series, etc.
During his career, he played for Shanghai Shengxurong. Since establishing the official ITTF rankings in January 2001 and the new way of scoring, Wang Liqin is the first player to be first in the world rankings.
Incredible Forehand — Wang Liqin
He spent 53 months as number 1. That remarkable success puts him in 2nd place in the history of table tennis in the months spent as the best table tennis players in the world. He won three world singles championships.
Wang Liqin almost completed the “Grand Slam.” An insurmountable obstacle for him was the Olympic Games and the World Cup in singles. In 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing, he managed to reach the semifinals, more precisely to win third place. He took 2nd place at the 2001 World Cup. He is saying goodbye to the national team at the end of 2013.
Wang Liqin’s greatest successes
World Cup:
Team: 1. place; Magdeburg 2007, Magdeburg 2011, Gwangzhou 2013.
9.MA LIN
Ma Lin is one of the best table tennis players on our list, born on February 19, 1980, in Shenyang, China. Nicknames: “Maestro” and “Defense Killer.” However, he currently works as a coach in the Guangdong main team and is one of the assistant coaches in the Chinese national team.
He used the Penhold style of holding the racket. Ma Lin is known for his service with a high ball throw, where he uses different rotation variations when hitting. In addition, he has excellent movement, an aggressive attack of the first ball, a fantastic reception of service, a return of short balls, and a backhand block with a forehand side.
He liked Yasaka’s equipment the most. Racket: Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive Penhold blade, and rubbers DHS Neo Skyline 2 TG2 on the forehand and Butterfly Bryce Speed FX on the backhand side.
He played for Baya Gongshang, Shandong Luneng, Guangdong Gotone, Shaanxi Yinhe, and Ningbo Haitian during his career.
In 1994, he joined the work of the Chinese senior national team at the age of only 14. He is the only player who owns gold medals from the Olympic Games in singles, doubles, and team competitions.
Ma Lin only needed a trophy from World Championship to complete the table tennis “Grand Slam.” The farthest he managed to reach was the final, winning second place in Eindhoven in 1999.
During his career, he managed to stay for 11 months in the first position of the best table tennis players on the world ranking list. At the end of 2013, he said goodbye to the national team and actively played table tennis.
Ma Lin’s greatest successes
10.JORGEN PERSSON
As one of the top 10 table tennis players of all time, Persson is a former Swedish national team player. He was born on April 22, 1966, in Halmstad, Sweden. He is currently the selector of the Swedish national team.
The way the racket is held is shakehand style. He was a striker who played at half distance with strong topspins breaking the opponent’s game. Also, he had a great backhand block.
Jorgen Persson uses DONIC equipment. Racket: Power Senzo Blade and Coppa 2.1 rubbers on both sides of the racket. Clubs, where he played, were Borussia Dusseldorf and Halmstad BTK performed.
He could have become the second European player after Waldner to complete the “Grand Slam.” After winning the World Championship and the World Cup in singles in 1991, only the Olympic Games remained. Unfortunately, he never managed to win them over.
He won the best result at the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 2000 and Beijing in 2008, where he reached the semifinals and where he had to settle for 4th place. Since table tennis became an Olympic sport, Persson has competed in the Olympics 7 times (from 1988 to 2012). Therefore, together with Zoran Primorac and Jean — Michael Saive, he holds the record with the most appearances at the Olympic Games.
He spends ten months in position number 1 on the ITTF ratings. After London in 2012, he said goodbye to actively playing table tennis and dedicated himself to coaching.
Jorgen Persson’s greatest successes
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Originally published at https://tabletennistop.com on May 27, 2021.
