In the just-concluded Incheon Championship, Fan Zhendong, the top national table tennis player, was defeated 4-2 by Brazilian player Hugo in the semi-finals, causing a minor upset. The reason why
is said to be unpopular is because Fan Zhendong’s previous record with Hugo was an overwhelming 8:1. The gap in paper strength between the two is needless to say, but in fact, many senior fans But he was not surprised by Fan Zhendong's loss, and even felt like "it's true".
It is really because, in the past year, Fan Zhendong's status has clearly gone wrong.
Goa Star Challenge, lost to Zhao Dacheng 2-3; Macau Championship, lost to Alex 2-3; Frankfurt Championship, lost to Lee Sang-soo 1-3; Chengdu World Cup, lost to Tomokazu Chang 1-2...
If we count again In terms of civil war -
lost to Lin Shidong twice in the Doha Star Game and the Singapore Grand Slam; lost to Wang Chuqin twice in the Asian Games and year-end finals; lost to Lin Gaoyuan in the Zagreb Challenge; lost to Malone in the Asian Championships... …
Although we have long realized that the current strength gap between the top men's singles players has become smaller and smaller, but as the recognized leader in strength and national table tennis, both from an individual and collective perspective Starting off, Fan Zhendong carries the heavy responsibility of winning the men's singles gold medal in the Paris Olympics.
But now, the Paris Olympics is only 4 months away. Compared with Wang Chuqin, who is getting more and more courageous with every setback, Ma Long, who is old and undaunted, and even Liang Jingkun, who shined in the finals of the Incheon Championship, it has been 9 months since he won any singles championship. Fan Zhendong, whose condition is still a mystery, has posed a huge problem to the coaching staff.
fans can’t help but ask, what happened to Fan Zhendong?
In fact, Fan Zhendong's record this year is not without merits. He defeated Zhuang Zhiyuan and Zhang Yuzhen at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and became a god of war in the Busan team competition. He won 8 games and won the tournament MVP, including against South Korea. The team's decisive move to turn the tide.
lacks good state stability, which has become Fan Zhendong's most fatal flaw this year.
Li Shangzhu, Alex, Tomokazu Harimoto, and even Hugo. When facing these good players, Fan Zhendong could sometimes play a hearty game, but sometimes he was at a loss and was ultimately defeated.
In the author's opinion, there are two reasons why Fan Zhendong has such fluctuations in status.
is first of all a technical problem.
Deng Yaping, who was a guest watching the game, pointed out many times that Fan Zhendong's technical system was flawed and he relied too much on his backhand.
We all know that violent twisting and pulling with the backhand is Fan Zhendong's signature technique. However, in the mainstream tactics of men's singles nowadays, the backhand is mostly based on quick tearing, in order to cooperate with the connection of the forehand to create richer changes in tactical rhythm.
It can be said that the backhand pull is a relatively backward technology for today's men's singles niche. However, Fan Zhendong not only failed to upgrade his technology, but even subconsciously used his backhand more during the stalemate stage. ——For example, in the game against Hugo, such a monotonous style of play put Fan Zhendong at an almost complete disadvantage in close confrontations.
At the same time, Fan Zhendong's footwork has been considered a technical shortcoming since the beginning of his debut. When he lost ground near the stage, his footwork defects were magnified, making his physical consumption in each game more serious.
However, technical shortcomings do not represent a necessary disadvantage in the competition.
Deng Yaping also said that when the disparity in strength between the two sides is not large, the outcome will be determined by mentality, meticulousness and the ability to reduce mistakes.
But Fan Zhendong has always felt tepid and lacking in fighting spirit for most of the competition this year.
Only in the Busan team competition, after the Chinese team was forced into a desperate situation by the South Korean team, Fan Zhendong, who had no way out, finally showed his long-lost fighting spirit and domineering attitude - many fans unanimously agreed that with the two Korean team The game was Fan Zhendong's best game this year. From it, we can see many shadows of Fatty at his peak.
But after losing to the aging Malone again in the Asian Championship finals last year, Fan Zhendong's confidence and fighting spirit were visibly hit, and he began a long career...
For Fan Zhendong, now He does have a dilemma - he needs to go all out to find fighting spirit and status in a large number of games, but his backward technical system makes his physical condition unable to withstand continuous high-intensity games.
Of course, for Fan Zhendong, who already has two world championships and four World Cup championships, now only the Olympic gold medal is his only pursuit. No matter how many other competitions he wins, whether he has the Olympic championship or not, it does not matter to him It will be completely different between heaven and earth.
Under such circumstances, whether it is wtt or the Asian Games, it may be difficult for Fan Zhendong to persuade and mobilize his passion for competition from the bottom of his heart.
But the competition is not settling accounts, and the status is not a taxi that stops at the beck of call.
When encountering setbacks and confusion, some people will choose to face the difficulties and show their swords boldly, while some people will choose to take one step at a time and wait until the bridge reaches the bridge.
Sun Yingsha once said that every game lost before the Olympics will be very painful and have a serious impact on self-confidence.
Zhang Yining also said that before the competition is approaching, athletes must constantly squeeze their own state - "Do you know the feeling of being forced in a corner? You keep struggling, and no one can help you, because you are forced to It's you who is in the corner. "
But... Fan Zhendong himself is not a player known for his high fighting spirit. Before the
Incheon Championship, Fan Zhendong attended the concert of international superstar Taylor Swift and took a selfie. In the video, he sang heartily with the crowd. It can be seen that he really enjoyed this relaxed and happy atmosphere. Atmosphere.
Athletes are also human beings and have the right to relax and enjoy themselves. No one has the right to interfere with an athlete's private life off the field.
However, when your performance and concentration decline in the next competition, it will naturally be reasonable for you to be questioned by public opinion.
To use the original words of an e-sports player that I like very much -
"When the trophy is right in front of you, you must consider whether this is the only opportunity in this life."
Although Fan Zhendong is currently still He is still in his prime, and it seems that playing for another four years will not be a problem, but don’t forget that in the past year, he has lost to Wang Chuqin twice and Lin Shidong twice - so who will win the men’s singles seat in four years? Can you tell clearly what will happen?
In the worst case scenario, it is not impossible that the Paris Olympics will become Fan Zhendong's last Olympics!
Those lying-down joys and those wanton indulgences, who can guarantee that they won’t become embarrassing memories that will be regretted in the future?
If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you must be able to endure loneliness, pain and torture.
The World Cup in two weeks will be the last big test before the Paris Olympics. As a four-time champion, although winning another World Cup championship will have almost no meaning for Fan Zhendong's overall career, and if Going all out in the World Cup and resulting in exposure of tactical reserves or injuries is not worth the gain...
But the game is really not about settling scores.
Sometimes the psychological barrier needs a hearty victory to break it.
If he cannot find the feeling of high-intensity competition and regain his fighting spirit in the World Cup, will Fan Zhendong really have enough confidence to compete with the powerful players in the future Olympics?
hopes that Fan Zhendong can realize that he is now like the Chinese team facing the South Korean team in the Busan team competition. There is no way out.
can only fight to the death.
