On March 10th, Beijing time, the main draw of the 2024 Singapore Grand Slam began. On the first match day, men's singles world No. 1 Fan Zhendong got off to a good start by sweeping Australia's Lu Wei 3-0 in just 20 minutes. But today Fan Zhendong was on the hot search for another thing. He appeared at the American singer Taylor Swift (nicknamed "Taylor Swift") Era Tour Concert in Singapore on March 8. The current Fan Zhendong somewhat surprises senior fans. He frequently appears, makes appearances, and speaks out outside the stadium, and seems to be expanding his living space. However, Fan Zhendong is still an active player after all. Fighting for the Olympic men's singles gold medal this summer is the first priority for him.
does not behave like an honest child and frequently challenges the rules.
Fan Zhendong made a similar unexpected move during the Frankfurt station of the WTT Championship in early November last year. At that time, Fan Zhendong lost an upset 1-3 to South Korea's Lee Sang-soo in the second round of men's singles. When veteran Malone eliminated French star Félix Le Brun 4-1 in the semi-finals, Fan Zhendong was 200 kilometers away in the Bundesliga. At the stadium, accompanied by Boll, he watched Dortmund play Bayern. Logically speaking, Fan Zhendong left the team in the middle to watch the Bundesliga. He should have asked for leave from the National Table Tennis Team and obtained permission before going. However, the team was playing a game and he lost, but he ran away to watch the ball for entertainment in a high profile. This is still the case in the history of the National Table Tennis Team. Very rare.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year on February 10 this year, Fan Zhendong posted a surprising Weibo. He wrote: "Recently, I have been hinted from time to time that as long as I am a living person, I will be scolded. On the first day of the Year of the Dragon, a movie starring brothers was released. , a good life must be lived! Looking back on the last time I met Peng Yuchang, the hair dedicated to art has not yet grown. I sincerely wish it a great box office success and send some big red envelopes to the brothers. On New Year's Day, let's shake the sun together." This was interpreted by the outside world as Fan Zhendong's post to promote his good friend Peng Yuchang's new movie. But Fan Zhendong's opening sentence, "As long as you are a living person, you will be scolded" is worth pondering. Since he knows that "living people" will be scolded, why did he bravely choose to be a "living person"?
This Singapore Grand Slam is very important. It is one of the few remaining three majors before the Paris Olympics. Two days before the start of the game, Fan Zhendong went to Swift's concert to show his face to increase his presence. No one in the national table tennis team has ever done such a thing among the previous Olympic men's singles champions and quasi-Olympic men's singles champions. Did Fan Zhendong ask for leave from the National Table Tennis Team this time? Who granted the leave?
Wang Liqin sent a message from across the air: Go to the Olympics and win the gold medal
On March 10, the official Weibo of the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau, Shanghai Sports, released a latest video interviewing Wang Liqin (Director of the Shanghai Competitive Sports Training Management Center), Wang Liqin FireWire Fan Zhendong shouted from the air: Demonstrate the main strength and strive to achieve greater breakthroughs in the Paris Olympics. Due to the disbandment of his old club Bayi, Fan Zhendong transferred to the Shanghai team in the middle of last year after many twists and turns, and is now a Shanghai player.
Fan Zhendong's career can be said to have been living in Malone's shadow from the beginning to now. In the current competition for Olympic quota spots on the national table tennis men's team, although the singles pattern of Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin has become relatively clear, Wang Chuqin comes from the Beijing team and is a "royal family" in the eyes of many senior fans.
is a "living person" on Weibo, which is to break through the pattern of recently retired national table tennis players and current stars who only post official updates and write short essays after games to show their loyalty, showing their personality and personal charm. The competition on the court is very fierce for Fan Zhendong. It is not only a matter of retreating if he does not advance, but more importantly, if he does not win the Olympic men's singles gold medal this summer, he may face an abyss of destruction.
Ma Long is now a double-lap Grand Slam and has not retired yet. Even if Fan Zhendong wins the Olympic men's singles gold medal and retires immediately, as long as he does not leave the national table tennis group, he will continue to live in Malone's shadow. Fan Zhendong is now 27 years old. If he still fails to win the men's singles gold medal in this Paris battle, it is unclear how likely he is to fight hard for another four years and reach Los Angeles. After all, not every star can enjoy special treatment like Ma Long in the national table tennis team.
