Olympic table tennis Grand Slam champion Ma Long appeared on the program "Talk to the World". In his speech, he said affectionately that table tennis and the motherland have long been integrated into his bones. During the interactive session, when asked When asked who is the greatest opponent, Malone’s answer is Waldner. In Malone’s view, Waldner brings an artistic sense to table tennis.
At the beginning of his speech, Ma Long talked about his love for table tennis and a game that inspired him to bury his dream. "What impressed me most was the 1995 World Table Tennis Championships. At that time, I had already started to learn to play table tennis. In the men's team finals, China faced Sweden. Before that, the Chinese men's team had been at a low point. The national table tennis team lost to the Swedish team in the finals in 1989 and 1993. In 1991, it did not even reach the semi-finals. . I have been a very expressive person since I was a child, but as the game progressed, the score between the two sides remained stalemate. Looking at the Chinese players on the field, although they fell behind sometimes, they still didn't give up. I instantly felt that I also wanted to give to the Chinese team. "Come on, a wave of enthusiasm just surged up. In the end, the Chinese team won and won the championship again after six years. That game was also a turnaround for the Chinese team." It was an important turning point. The Chinese table tennis team has been invincible since then. What it means to me is to plant a seed, hoping that one day I can represent China and win a championship. After that, I trained hard and participated in various competitions, big and small, and finally was selected for the national team when I was 15 years old. ”
“After entering the national team, the coach will be the world champion, the senior brother will be the world champion, the teammates will be the world champion, and the junior brother will also be the world champion. Under this situation, everyone in the team will try their best. For that championship, I went out with the national team at the age of 18 and won my first world championship in the World Table Tennis Championships team competition. I was young and extremely talented. This was how the outside world evaluated me at the time, but I knew it was still far away. not enough. Table tennis is the national sport in China. As a national table tennis player, you can only take first place. If you take second place, you will lose. So everyone is under tremendous pressure. In the national table tennis team, only the individual championships in major competitions can be recognized, so I need the World Championships singles championship and the Olympic champion to prove myself. ”
Although Malone is now a Grand Slam champion and is known as the “Hexagon Warrior,” his road to success has not been smooth sailing. “From the time I was 19 years old in 2007, I went out for the first time to participate. In singles at the World Table Tennis Championships, I stopped in the top 16. Starting in 2009, I steadily entered the semi-finals in 2011 and 2013, but was blocked from the finals at the last moment. According to coach Liu Guoliang at the time, I had buried myself three times. Missing the finals of the World Table Tennis Championships seemed to be my nightmare. The next World Table Tennis Championships will be in 2015. I am 27 years old. At the age of 27, coach Liu Guoliang has already won a Grand Slam and officially retired with full honors. However, I only won one World Cup championship in 2016 in the three majors. ”
“However, in the 2014 World Cup, I lost again. After that time, I suspected that I had reached the top and even thought about retiring. But even though I was heartbroken, I still persisted and trained day after day. I didn’t want to just admit defeat. Do you believe it? When you are in an abyss with no way out, there is only one way up. "Ma Long's refusal to give up also made his dream come true. "In the 2015 World Table Tennis Championships, I reached the semi-finals and then the semi-finals again. I actively prepared for the game before the game, and the coach also gave me some psychological training. He said to me , the only person who can defeat you is yourself. Fortunately, I won this time, and I won until the finals and the 2016 Olympics. I finally won my Grand Slam when I was 28 years old. Not only that, After that, I won the World Table Tennis Championships in 2017 and 2019. ”
Ma Long, who is full of honors, also has to face the painful struggle of injuries. He also revealed his experience of fighting injuries in the show: “Because of my playing habits and years of strain, I There will be some pain in the left knee. Starting from the second half of 2018, I retired several times due to injury. I stayed away from international competitions for 8 months and did not touch the ball for 3 months. That was one of the most difficult and dark moments of my career.
I have never played table tennis for such a long time. My coach and doctor took me to see many authoritative doctors and tried traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and Western medicine. During that time, my knees were all bruised and blue, even if I did a little physical training. Once measured, my knees would swell and hurt. By early 2019, I had to go to the hospital four times in two months to drain the fluid from my knees. Injuries knocked Malone down, he was too old, and the era of the hexagonal warrior was over. During those days, the self-media was filled with all kinds of bearish headlines. Every time I am tortured by an injury, I ask myself: Can I return to the game? At this time, another voice emerged in my heart, why should I return to the stadium again? ”
Ma Long said bluntly that he had every reason to quit after becoming famous, but his love for table tennis made him choose to persevere, “After winning the Rio Olympics championship in 2016, I also became a Grand Slam player. Most players think that at the age of 28, I can choose to quit. To be honest, I hesitated at the time, but just when I didn't know where the target was, the accumulated injuries broke out first. Being away from playing for such a long time made me truly realize how much I love this sport. In those few months, I was very happy when I could practice once in a while. If my goal before 2016 was to win the championship, then during this injury, my goal became to be able to stand in front of the table I love and continue playing. Table tennis has become an irreplaceable and irreplaceable part of my life. It is like living in my body. I love table tennis so much. How could I not love it? ”
It must be mentioned that when Ma Long talked about suffering from injuries, a female audience member was moved to tears in her eyes, and when Ma Long talked about his love for table tennis, he was also full of affection. He said: "Just like the 2019 World Table Tennis Championships, I overcame injuries and finally won the championship after 8 months. In the post-match interview, I said the words "I am made in China". Table tennis and the motherland have long been integrated into me. In my heart, every time I see the five-star red flag raised for me in the international arena, it is the happiest moment for me. I finally realize my childhood dream of winning glory for my country. ”
“Since Rong Guotuan won the first world championship for the Chinese team in 1959, table tennis has continuously won back honors and respect for China. In the 1970s, table tennis became China’s diplomacy. With the ties of foreign countries, generations of members of the Chinese table tennis team have used their youth and sweat to carry forward this small ball. As a member of the Chinese table tennis team, what I can do is to go all out regardless of the end point. ”
After Ma Long’s speech, he also won applause from the audience. In the following interactive session, Ma Long answered the questions raised by the audience one by one. As for who is the best opponent, Ma Long’s answer is : "I think it should be Waldner. This legendary star is not only because he has fought against the sixth and seventh generations of Chinese athletes alone, nor is it just because he has achieved the best results of his era, more importantly, I think He brought an artistic sense to this kind of table tennis. The original table tennis may seem a bit boring, but because of his appearance, I think table tennis has brought a lot of beautiful balls, so more people will love table tennis. Even many Chinese team athletes regard him as their idol. "
A female audience member from Italy asked Ma Long why the Chinese are so good at table tennis? Ma Long said: ""I think it is indeed table tennis that became the national sport. There are still very advanced things." , a successful experience that has been accumulated for more than 70 years and has been passed down. I think athletes of our generation should be very happy. We may have accumulated a lot of experience since we were playing, which may be better than that of foreign players. There is no need to make too many detours. Our coaches and teammates are all world champions. When we all practice together every day, whether it is studying a certain player or a certain technique, I believe it will be better than those from foreign countries. He should have studied it more thoroughly than him, so the strength of our team is also very strong."
An audience also asked Ma Long about his motivation to persist. Ma Long said: "First of all, I love this sport very much, and secondly. On the one hand, I like research. I hope to like the kind of ball that I can hit that others can’t hit. I also like to experience the excitement in the game. When you win the game, I feel the release and pride. It is difficult to experience this feeling in normal life. ”