The Chinese national table tennis team's roster for the Asian Cup has been announced, drawing significant attention. Surprisingly, Chen Meng and Fan Zhendong, who previously withdrew from international rankings, are not on the list, while Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin have successfully made the cut. Additionally, there are two newcomers each on the men's and women's teams.
A closer look at the situation after the list was released reveals that the truth is not straightforward. After Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng withdrew from international rankings, Liu Guoliang stated that as long as these veterans were willing, they could participate in world-class events with wildcards. However, this Asian Cup, the first major event since Liu Guoliang's statement, saw all three veterans on the organizing committee's invitation list but ultimately did not compete. Liu Guoliang had said that if they were willing to participate, they could hold a wildcard, but the reality is that they did not compete, which is puzzling.
Looking at the rules of the Doha World Table Tennis Championships, there is no provision for wildcards, meaning that if Chen Meng and Fan Zhendong wanted to participate with a wildcard according to Liu Guoliang's statement, they would actually have no chance. This situation makes one wonder whether Liu Guoliang's statement at the time was just to appease fans and was not implemented in actual operations.
Despite this, there are many highlights in this list. Sun Yingsha is participating in the Asian Cup for the first time, receiving much attention. She has participated in two Olympic Games but has never competed in the Asian Cup. This time, she finally has the opportunity to compete, and her good friend Wang Chuqin is also fighting as the top male player, making fans very excited.
Moreover, the four newcomers are also the focus of this list. On the men's side, Chen Yuanyu recently performed outstandingly in the men's singles final in Muscat and will face off against Tomokazu Harimoto tonight, with hot form. Huang Youzheng, as the men's singles champion of the National Championships, has great potential and has received everyone's favor this time.
The women's team players Kuai Man and Shi Xunyao are also quite strong. Tonight, they will meet in the women's singles final in Muscat. Kuai Man, in particular, has been in strong form recently, ranking in the top 30 in singles and winning multiple championships, making her strength not to be underestimated.
However, there are also some disappointments in this list. Xu Yingbin and Xiang Peng of the men's team performed poorly in recent competitions and were eliminated early. Although Qian Tianyi of the women's team has made rapid progress recently, she was not selected this time to give newcomers a chance. As ordinary fans, although we know that cultivating newcomers is important, it is inevitable to feel a bit disappointed when seeing our favorite players eliminated.
Therefore, the release of the national table tennis team's Asian Cup roster has sparked heated discussions among fans. The absence of veterans and the rise of newcomers leave the real reasons behind the changes open to question. Are the veterans really unwilling to compete, or are there other hidden difficulties? While newcomers have unlimited potential, whether they can withstand the pressure in major competitions and prove themselves remains uncertain.
Finally, what do you think of this list? Should we fully support young players, or should we prefer to give more opportunities to experienced veterans?