In the past two days, two major events have occurred in the national table tennis scene. The first is that Fan Zhendong announced his withdrawal from the world rankings; the second is that Chen Meng also announced her withdrawal from the world rankings. These two events immediately caused a sensation. On the one hand, it is because the fame and status of these two individuals are very unusual in today's international table tennis arena. Fan Zhendong, once ranked first in men's singles, won a gold medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics. Chen Meng, once ranked first in women's singles, also won a gold medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics.
On the other hand, it is because such an event is extremely rare. Looking back at the history of national table tennis, there has never been a similar situation. In fact, the withdrawal of a star player is enough to shock, let alone the top players in men's and women's singles. Both Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng are still in their prime and possess extraordinary strength. Especially Fan Zhendong, who can be said to still be at the peak of his career. If Fan Zhendong can recover as before now, he absolutely has the ability to return to the top of the world. As for Chen Meng, even if she cannot return to the top of the world, she is still at the level of the top three in the world.
Why did they make such an "extreme" decision? From their statements, it can be seen that the main reason is that WTT has introduced new rules, which stipulate that if players do not choose to participate in WTT events, they will be fined. After the Olympics, both Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng faced huge psychological pressure and needed some time to adjust. Unfortunately, WTT did not give them a chance to catch their breath. Since they would be fined if they did not participate in the competition, they simply withdrew from the world rankings, after all, participating in WTT events depends on the world rankings.
The successive withdrawals of Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng have sparked heated discussions and controversies. Of course, many fans still support Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng. Interestingly, at this critical moment, CCTV also spoke up! CCTV broadcast the views of well-known table tennis journalist Li Wuji. Li Wuji frankly stated that when he saw this news, he was first surprised, then regretful, and ultimately what he most wanted to say was respect. Li Wuji also said that although the commercialization of competitions is a good thing, it is necessary to fully consider the main position of the players and see what they need. In addition, Li Wuji also pointed out that the points for WTT events have been excessively increased. It's worthy of being CCTV! Every word expresses love and respect for the players!
By the way, many fans also pointed their fingers at Liu Guoliang, believing that he bears some responsibility! What do you think?