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Q & A | Timo boll

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-16 08:31

Does the fact that you are a world No 1 without a world or an Olympic title put extra pressure on you?

Boll: I am quite relaxed. I feeling I have had a great career. Of course, there are still some missing titles. But I never had such high expectations of myself. I will try my best over the next few years to push myself really hard to optimize my ability and then we will see what happens if I can win those missing titles or not. Then, in the end, I can say I gave my best. I hope I can get what I feel I deserve.

Who do you think is the greatest table tennis player ever?

Boll: It is difficult to say. There are many ... Liu Guoliang, he won the most titles, the mixed, the doubles but his career was quite short. (Jan-Ove) Waldner was there for a long time but I think he had the advantage that the Chinese had a weak generation at that time. Kong Linghui is also a great player. For his style, his behavior, he is always a gentleman. Liu Guoliang had a very good serve and smash but it was not so attractive, but Kong Linghui's play was nice looking. I choose Kong Linghui.

What about the active players? Including yourself?

Boll: Me? No, because I didn't win all the titles. Maybe, talent-wise, Ma Lin is the best. If he has a perfect day he is the best player ever. He can play shots from physically unbelievable positions.

We know Europe has some young talents now, but there is no-one catching up with you. Do you think the gap between Asia and Europe is widening?

Boll: Yes, we really have to take care. Right now we have problems in finding some top players, some hopes. And it comes down to achieving the last step, to move from top 15 to top five. And that is the most difficult step.

This generation in Asia is very strong right now. You can't compare this generation to that of the late 1980s or the beginning of 1990s. I think China has found the right way to select talent. I don't know if we can find a system like China's. This is a big question.

Do you think table tennis enjoys greater popularity in Germany than it did a decade ago?

Boll: It is improving. But I am a little afraid if I'm not there it will go down. That is why I hope my younger colleagues will catch up soon, which is not only good for the European but also for Chinese table tennis. It will be interesting for the spectators to 'feel' the success. In the past few years, it has been too easy for the Chinese to win.

The Germans are a little bit like Chinese. They want to see their sportsmen winning. They don't accept second or third place. It's tough for me. I'm only a single person who fights against a whole nation which has a lot of people playing like me.