Table tennis, or ping-pong, is an Olympic sport regulated by the ITTF (short for International Table Tennis Federation). Over more than a century of existence, it has not only changed the rules several times, but also found new fans and, of course, star players. You can read about them in today’s article.
It should be noted that until the mid-20th century the leaders of the sport were European players. But the 50s of the twentieth century dramatically changed the leaders in ping-pong. From then until today, the top players in the sport have been Asian players. This is true not only in singles matches, but also in doubles and mixed matches.
Top table tennis athletes of the 20th century
- Farkos Gizella (Hungary). Post-war world champion who continued the glorious tradition of the 1930s. She was world number one in singles from 1947 to 1949. From 1947 to 1953 she was intermittently world number one in doubles. Also competed in mixed doubles where she was world best four times. She adopted and continued the tradition of Hungarian tennis and was noted for her high speed and stamina.
- Johan Cel (Sweden). Famous for playing on equal terms with the Japanese for fifteen years – from 1962 to 1975. Repeatedly was world number one or medallist in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. He played for the Swedish national team where he was also successful. High speed and intuition when playing. Displayed the stamina and stability that made him play at such a high level.
- Ogmura Yoshira is probably one of the most outstanding players in the history of table tennis, who turned the history of table tennis upside down. He is famous for bringing an entirely new style of play to table tennis. His grip on a tennis racket was then adopted by everyone. He dazzled everyone at the 1954 world championships, where he was unbeatable. Multiple world champion in all categories and team events.
- Olga Rudnova (USSR). Performed in the 60s and 70s and was one of the best in the world, in spite of the total dominance of Asian athletes. In Europe at one time she was clearly the best – in 70 was the only female athlete in history to take all four first places. Preferred to compete in doubles and team events, and was a repeat winner and runner-up in European and world competitions. Olga Nikolayevna was not the only representative of Soviet table tennis. Ping-pong was very developed in the USSR.
Asia’s most famous ping-pong players
The most important ranking showing the balance of power on the adult international table tennis scene, which also includes athletes under 21, or under 18 if they have competed in adult tournaments, is the ITTF individual ranking. The International Table Tennis Federation recalculates it about 12 times a year and publishes the results on its website, which are updated every month.
Individual great athletes have not left the top of the rankings for a long time. And every aspiring tennis player can aspire to the same results. For example, the Chinese player Zhuang Zedong has been the longest on the world ranking, 1947 days in total. A little less, 1945 days for Ma Long. However, this is not surprising. The Chinese table tennis school is one of the best in the world.
- Liu Guoliang was born on 10 January 1976 in Xinxiang, Henan, China. He has 4 Olympic victories to his credit: twice gold, silver and bronze. He is effective with the Penholder’s attacking grip. Liu is the second person in the world to win the Grand Slam (he is awarded for three wins: the Olympics, the Tennis World Cup and the Tennis World Cup).
- Zhang Yining is from Beijing, China. Her main achievements were winning 4 Olympic medals in ping pong. It can be said that the Shakehand grip is what has led the athlete to many victories. The Chinese woman has won numerous awards, including the 2009 World Women’s Championships and even the 2008 Team Championships.
- Deng Yaping was born in Zhengzhou, Henan, China on 5 February 1973. Her athletic career includes 18 international victories, including 4 medals from Olympic events. She won a double women’s gold medal at the 40th World Table Tennis Championships in 1989. Deng Yaping also won the women’s team gold medal at the 4th World Table Tennis Championships in 1995. She is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding athletes in ping-pong. Besides, after her sports career, she continued her table tennis activities in China. In particular, she was a commentator for the Women’s Tennis World Championships in 2020 and 2021.
- Wang Hao. This Asian athlete from China is the winner of five Olympic ping-pong medals: two gold and three silver. In his game, he usually uses an attacking handle grip. Wang Hao is the 2009 World Men’s Singles Champion. He earned this title by defeating three-time champion Wang Liqing. In the team events he also excelled and won a number of significant victories.
- Wang Nan. The Chinese city of Fushun, Liaoning, China, gave the country of the Rising Sun another amazing athlete on 23 October 1978. She won five Olympic Ping-Pong medals for herself and her country. Wang Nan won XNUMX gold medals at the Olympic Games and also won silver for her active career. She usually uses the Shakehand grip when playing. Wang Nan has won 15 World Table Tennis Championships and is a five-time World Cup winner.
Conclusion
Of course, these lists can still be supplemented many times over. After all, there are many worthy athletes in the world history of table tennis who have not only won many victories, but also have their fans. Besides, every new Tournament gives the world new stars or contenders for world leadership.
Nevertheless, the above athletes are key players in ping-pong, who often appear in the historical summaries of commentators at the championships. Knowing these tennis players is not just possible, it is essential. Only by knowing them can one consider oneself a true expert in this sport.