Recently, the National Games are in full swing, and Fan Zhendong has finally returned to the court after the Olympics to compete for the men's team championship with the Shanghai team. Judging from his recent performance, Fan Zhendong has indeed lived up to his Olympic champion title, sweeping his opponent 3-0 in his first match. He has the potential to help the Shanghai team win the championship.
After the match, a journalist asked Fan Zhendong about his recovery since the Olympics, which was about two months ago. Fan Zhendong confidently replied that he probably didn't need any recovery because he had been maintaining high-intensity training throughout the process. His words implied that as a top athlete in competitive sports, he is always ready and can compete for the country's glory at any time as long as he doesn't retire.
Many fans were proud of Fan Zhendong's words but also felt a bit sad. They called out to the national table tennis coach Wang Hao. It's clear that since the Olympics, the Chinese table tennis team has participated in many competitions, including the Asian Championships and domestic grand slam events, with many main players participating. However, Fan Zhendong did not get the chance to participate in these competitions, and the reason within the team remains unclear.
Seeing Fan Zhendong's confident attitude, some fans called on Wang Hao, suggesting that the national table tennis coaching team should give Fan Zhendong more opportunities to perform. Especially given the recent setbacks faced by the national table tennis men's team, it's even more important to have Fan Zhendong return to lead the team.
In this way, the national table tennis men's team may avoid consecutive defeats like those seen in the Asian Championships.
It's worth noting that some fans also thought of Wang Chuqin's interview after his unexpected elimination from the Asian Championships. At that time, Wang Chuqin said he hadn't adjusted well, leading to unexpected situations. Some fans believed he should be held responsible, but in fact, Wang Chuqin's situation was different from Fan Zhendong's. Wang Chuqin had played many matches before, and his overall energy was depleted, so it's understandable that he couldn't perform well in the Asian Championships. Moreover, Wang Chuqin still helped the Chinese table tennis team retain the men's team championship, so he is still commendable.
It can only be said that the national table tennis team still has many excellent talents to choose from in the men's team. It's hoped that the coaching team of the Chinese table tennis team can take a long-term view, cultivate new talents while also making good use of veterans like Fan Zhendong, giving him more opportunities and status so that he can continue to help the national table tennis team compete in the next Olympic cycle.
In this way, the coaching team will have more time to cultivate young talents without worrying about a talent gap.