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WTT has issued an official statement in response to Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng's announcement of their withdrawal from the world rankings. The gist of the statement is that the fines are not new rules but are intended to ensure player participation. Several French table tennis players, including Simon Gauzy and the Lebesson brothers, have spoken out against WTT, claiming that these rules do not benefit the athletes. Netizens have discovered that if the top 20 ranked athletes do not participate in WTT events, based on the schedule for the first 11 months of 2025, they would be fined $225,000, which is approximately 1.642 million yuan.
How outrageous this fine is can be seen when you consider that even if an athlete were to participate in all WTT events and win them all, the prize money would still not reach 2 million yuan, not to mention taxes and other deductions. Moreover, the tickets for these matches are not cheap, sometimes comparable to the entrance fees for concerts by top-tier celebrities, and there are various sponsors involved, so the earnings are indeed higher than before. In response to the WTT officials, Fan Zhendong also made a statement, roughly meaning that he was unaware of when the fines for non-participation began, as he had never been officially informed about penalties for withdrawing from competitions. He only received formal notice recently that WTT will strictly enforce the rules next year, so he signed and submitted his withdrawal from WTT on the same day.
Regarding Fan Zhendong's response, it is unclear when the fines began, perhaps he really didn't know. There is no rule that mandatory participation requires playing a certain number of rounds; even if an athlete performs poorly and is eliminated in the first round, they will not be penalized. The top ten ranked players in the world are required to participate in only a dozen or so events (4 Grand Slams, 6 Champions Series, 1 Final, World Cup, World Championships, Asian Games, Asian Championships), and they can file a pre-notification based on their own circumstances. If an injury occurs and is confirmed, they can be exempted. However, African player Aruna has already criticized WTT several times on social media this year because he could not participate due to injury and was still required to pay a fine, and WTT's prize money was also delayed in disbursement.
Renowned sports journalist He Xiaolong posted on social media, suggesting that the new WTT fine regulations were primarily orchestrated by Liu Guoliang. As a media person making such statements, it is normal for Liu Guoliang to be thrust into the limelight. The Chinese Table Tennis Association needs to publicly respond to dispel any negative effects.
In fact, Liu Guoliang has really worked hard to enhance the commercial value of table tennis, and the support he receives from the players is commendable. Table tennis is not a popular event internationally, and it is correct to aim to increase its commercialization and popularity, but it must be done gradually while considering the actual situation, after all, table tennis lags behind tennis in many aspects.
On the other hand, Ma Long did not follow Chen Meng and Fan Zhendong in withdrawing from WTT. The older and more injured Ma Long chose silence, not speaking on social media or giving interviews to the media. For Ma Long, there is no need to comment on WTT's statement. After the Olympics, Ma Long has been engaged in activities outside of competitions, acting as an ambassador and promoting friendly exchanges. He is doing more things beyond table tennis matches.
Ma Long is likely to follow a route within the system, so it's not appropriate to say much. Since the Beijing Grand Slam, Ma Long has basically not participated in WTT competitions, so let's not bring him up for discussion. The majority of athletes not voicing their opinions does not mean they have no thoughts. If it were like tennis, where winning a Grand Slam could earn millions of dollars, who wouldn't want that? Demanding that athletes contribute to the earnings of the event organizers without providing corresponding rewards, plus the risk of personal injuries, who would willingly do that?