Translation:
Not long ago, the WTT official released the latest rankings. In the men's category, Wang Chuqin ranked first, followed by Lin Shidong and Zhang Benzhihe; in the women's category, Sun Yingsha ranked first, followed by Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, and Chen Xintong. It can be seen that Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, who previously chose to withdraw from the world rankings, are no longer among them. This means they have completely separated from the WTT. It is worth noting that fans also discovered something else: Ma Long is not in the ranking either.
Just as everyone was discussing this matter, the Chinese Table Tennis Association officially announced a message, which is that Fan Zhendong, Chen Meng, and Ma Long have successively withdrawn from the world rankings. The Chinese Table Tennis Association stated, "The Chinese Table Tennis Association and the Chinese table tennis team understand and respect the decision of the three athletes to withdraw from the world rankings, agree to their withdrawal from the world rankings, and have handled all related procedures." Moreover, the Chinese Table Tennis Association also expressed that it will pay attention to the subsequent development of the three athletes and provide them with the greatest support.
At this moment, Ma Long has completely joined the ranks of Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng. As for why Ma Long withdrew, there is no definitive conclusion. Perhaps he also wants to rest, or perhaps he is supporting Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng with his actions... Regardless of which one, such a situation has caused a huge loss to table tennis fans and made the WTT very embarrassed. Saying that fans have suffered a heavy loss is because it is difficult for them to see these players compete on the international stage again. Saying that the WTT is embarrassed is because the value of the rankings has decreased significantly. There is not a single singles champion from the three major events in the men's group; there is not a single Olympic singles champion in the women's group.
Olympic champions are withdrawing one after another, which is unprecedented in the history of the national table tennis team. As the helmsman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, Liu Guoliang should say something. In fact, he did. Liu Guoliang said in an interview that Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Chen Meng have brought glory to the country and achieved remarkable results. He fully supports and respects their actions, and he also hopes that the players can defend their legitimate rights and interests. Liu Guoliang also said that the WTT can appropriately change the rules and consider more for the veterans. Moreover, Liu Guoliang also said that he will actively promote the adjustment of competition rules to maximize the benefits for the players. Judging from what Liu Guoliang said, he should have been unaware of this matter, and he also feels that the WTT needs to make changes.
This time, it really got out of hand!