Recently, the Chinese table tennis world has not been calm. Top athletes such as Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Chen Meng, all Olympic champions, have successively withdrawn from the world rankings, with Liu Guoliang also expressing his stance on their withdrawals. In addition to these three Olympic champions, another national table tennis Olympic champion, Xu Xin, has also had some "friction" with the 68-year-old former national table tennis world champion, Guo Yuehua, due to certain events during the China Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL). In a recent live broadcast, after responding to the topic of defending Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin once again discussed the remarks made by Guo Yuehua in a video, stating frankly that this matter is very disgusting.
After the men's team semi-finals of the CTTSL, the three members of the Shanghai team—Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong, and Zhou Kai—together accepted media interviews. During the interview, the media reporters almost continuously asked questions directed at Fan Zhendong, which made him somewhat unhappy. At this moment, Xu Xin decisively intervened, directly reminding the media reporters that they were a team and suggesting that everyone first interview Zhou Kai. This action was indeed warm, reflecting Xu Xin's emotional intelligence, as he defended Fan Zhendong while also taking care of Zhou Kai's feelings.
Regarding his actions during the interview, Xu Xin also discussed this point in the live broadcast. He said, "During the interview, one question followed another, which is quite impactful for athletes. I noticed that Xiaopang (Fan Zhendong) didn't really want to answer, so I controlled the pace a bit to let him take a break."
Subsequently, Xu Xin also talked about the issue of riding on the coattails of others' popularity. He stated, "I've never wanted to ride on the popularity of other athletes; I don't want to ride on this or that. I just want to do my own thing. I rarely mention table tennis-related athletes unless I'm watching a match and chatting with everyone. Do you think those athletes won't see the gossip? Friends will tell the athletes, 'He's riding on your coattails,' which will make your relationship increasingly distant. Why don't I talk about these things? I want them to quietly live their own lives; they are under a lot of pressure right now." Indeed, for Xu Xin, an Olympic champion in table tennis, there is no need for him to ride on anyone's popularity, as his own popularity is already high.
When it comes to the topic of popularity, Xu Xin once became a hot topic figure during the first stage of the CTTSL. At that time, in the first stage of the 2024 CTTSL, Shanghai Real Estate Club achieved good results, ranking fourth in the men's team competition and qualifying for the finals. However, an awkward scene occurred during the award ceremony after the match. The leader who presented the awards shook hands with Fan Zhendong, who was ranked first, but then directly skipped over Xu Xin, who was standing second, and shook hands with the third-ranked player. Xu Xin's expression at the time showed obvious surprise, and he seemed stunned. Of course, later, whether the leader thought of it themselves or was reminded by others, they hurried back to shake hands with Xu Xin.
It was precisely this incident that made Xu Xin a hot topic that day. A few days after the event, the 68-year-old former national table tennis world champion, Guo Yuehua, suddenly interpreted Xu Xin's being overlooked by the leader during the award ceremony in a video, believing it was due to Xu Xin's attitude problem. Xu Xin also voiced his opinion on social media platforms, stating that although Guo Yuehua is a respected senior, he opposes this kind of slanderous behavior.
In this live broadcast, Xu Xin once again discussed Guo Yuehua and questioned him: "I can't hold it in anymore. He criticized me, saying I have no attitude, and he also criticized Zhou Kai. You also said our senior Ni Xiaolian is not good enough, why do you need to help others? We are all champions; when we win doubles, it's because the opponent played well, and when we lose, we should bear it together. I think this matter is very disgusting." What do you think about this, fellow fans?
