Olympic champion Fan joins German TT club Saarbrucken

BEIJING -- German table tennis club Saarbrucken announced Sunday the signing of Olympic champion Fan Zhendong.

In a statement, the Saarbrucken club said it "is causing a stir with a spectacular new signing" as Fan, a former world No. 1 and one of the biggest stars in international table tennis, will compete for the club in next season's German table tennis league, the TTBL.

"I'm really looking forward to the new challenges in Saarbrucken and in the TTBL," Fan told the club's website. "I'm really excited to be part of this club, get to know a new environment - and celebrate many successes together with the team."

"It all came as such a surprise and happened so quickly that we still can't quite believe it," said team manager Nicolas Barroa. "But it's reality - Fan Zhendong will play for us. This is not only an absolute milestone in terms of sport, but also a huge moment for our club and German and European table tennis as a whole."

Fan clinched both the men's singles and team gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the 11th player in history to achieve a career Grand Slam of Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup.

"The Olympic champion, world champion and multiple World Cup winner brings not only absolute world-class but also worldwide attention to Saarbrucken," said the club.

The Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) expressed understanding and respect toward Fan's playing overseas.

"The CTTA will show its full support to ensure that Fan remains at a high level and brings more glory to the table tennis cause," read a statement from the CTTA.

Fan previously played for Shanghai in the Chinese Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL). The new season's CTTSL is scheduled to start on June 9 and run until December 28.

As Fan is in the midst of the post-Olympic adjustment, it is reported that he plans to compete in national competitions and both domestic and overseas club games to rediscover his form.