Top 5 Famous Ping Pong Players Of All Time
Ping pong players are found worldwide, from Europe to Africa, from North America to Asia.
Numerous notable players have contributed to the development of table tennis since its inception.
Most people play table tennis for fun as amateurs or recreational players since the sport is not taken seriously.
But some excellent professional players take their game very seriously.
Top 5 Famous Ping Pong Players
Who are the world’s best table tennis players? They rank high in the ITTF world rankings.
Yes, we can say this because ITTF releases the list of best men and women in the world.
So, here I am giving you a list of the best ping pong players I have managed to find out according to their achievements:
1: Ma Long
The achievements and professionalism of Ma Long make him one of China’s top table tennis players.
Early on, he was also the captain of the Chinese team and has been regarded as one of the best players, with an excellent forehand grip and a powerful backhand.
Between 2006 and 2013, he won 16 medals at the world championships. From 2009 to 2019, Ma Long won nine gold medals at the World Cup.
The record of Ma Long holding the number one spot for 64 consecutive months in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is astonishing.
No other male player has held this position in the sport’s history.
He is also the first male tennis player in history to win every singles title in table tennis.
Furthermore, Ma Long is the only player to have won consecutive singles titles at the Chinese National Games.
Based on his impressive records, he is the best and most excellent player in this sport.
His teammates consider him the most tactical player whenever he faces a problem.
In his games, he layers his pendulum serves with subtle spins and service motions that are visually deceptive.
Nationality: Chinese
Playing style: Right-handed, Shakehand grip
Born: October 20th, 1988
Olympic Games: Three gold medals
2: Jan-Ove Waldner
On October 3rd, 1965, Jan-Ove Waldner was born and became the most popular non-Chinese Ping Pong player.
Coaches recognized his excellent athletic potential at an early age, which led to him reaching the extreme finals of the European Championship at the age of 16 in 1982.
He was the greatest player because of his outstanding eye-to-hand coordination.
Waldner was more popular in China during his peak years in the 1990s than Bill Clinton.
He won his 9th Swedish Championship against an undersized opponent born the same year Waldner won the first Swedish Championship.
He has encountered many more minor players throughout his long career, earning the nickname “Evergreen Tree” among Chinese.
Among the seven players who have shown their talent since table tennis was made an Olympic sport, Waldner is one.
Along with his outstanding performance at the Olympic games, he won three gold medals at the European Championships in the singles, doubles, and team events.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the living legend of table tennis.
Nationality: Swedish
Playing style: Shakehand grip
Born: October 3rd, 1965
Olympic Games: One gold and one silver medal
3: Ma Lin
He started playing table tennis at the age of five, and with his outstanding talent and a lot of practice, he joined the provincial team in 1990.
Ma Lin joined the Chinese national football team and participated in various matches to make China proud in his childhood.
He has won the Olympic gold medal in all singles, doubles, and team competitions in the male category.
A male table tennis player has never won five major World Cup championships.
Ma Lin is a powerful, unpredictable player known for his fast footwork, powerful serves, and third ball attacks.
As a professional head coach for the Guangdong provincial table tennis team, he served after his retirement in December 2013.
Nationality: Chinese
Playing style: Chinese Penhold
Born: February 19th, 1980
Olympic Games: Three gold Medals
4: Wang Nan
Wang Nan is a talented Chinese player who led the ITTF rankings from January 1999 to November 2002.
Since she was seven years old, she played table tennis and developed very special and sharp skills throughout the years.
A remarkable set of skills in ball placement and a speedy overall hitting structure distinguish her.
At the 1994 Swedish Open, Wang nun won the women’s singles title.
She won two Women’s World Table Tennis Cups, the Americans, and the China Opens, between 1997 and 1998.
In the Olympic Games of 2000, she won two gold medals.
She made it to the finals of the 2008 Summer Olympics but lost to Zhang Yining, but she earned a gold medal for the host country’s team.
After Deng Yaping retired, Wang was China’s Women’s TT team leader.
Nationality: Chinese
Playing style: Shakehand grip
Born: October 23rd, 1978
Olympic Games: Four gold and one silver medal
5: Deng Yaping
Deng Yaping is yet another Chinese super player who won the hearts of the table tennis lovers soon after she forayed into the international championships.
She has won eighteen world championship medals, including four Olympic titles between 1989 and 1997.
At the age of five, Deng Yaping won the provincial junior championship after four years of training.
When she was 13, Deng Yaping won her first national championship medal.
As a result of her height, she was denied a spot on the national team until 1988.
She proved herself in 1991 by winning the first singles match at the world championship.
Her success at the 1992 Olympics in Spain was followed by gold medals in the doubles and singles events of the following year.
Chinese voters selected her as the best woman athlete of the century. The International Table Tennis Federation inducted her into their Hall of Fame in 2003.
Nationality: Chinese
Playing style: Long rubber backhand
Born: February 6th, 1973
Olympic Games: Four gold Medals
Video Guide
Hey, My Name is Timothy Wang. I’m the U.S. National Table Tennis champion of 2010, 2012, and 2013 and playing the game since the age of 12. The purpose of this blog is to share my experience, tips, and tricks with others so they can master and enjoy this game like I’m doing for years.
