Waldner

Waldner is the $h*t. My appreciation for this man only grows...

I had to drop the plural for the sake of him being so singularly a badass.

just a question that I've been wondering, Why does he only have one european championship?

It's not that he won absolutely everything all the time, but the fact that he kept playing at an amazingly high level for a long time.

Being european champion, 2 x world champion, olympic champion and world cup winner is really impressive, but:

World championships:

1987: Silver medal
1989: Gold medal
1991: Silver medal
1993: Bronze medal
1997: Gold medal (21-0)
1999: Bronze medal

Olympic games:

1992: Gold medal
2000: Silver medal
2004: 4th place

So he has maintained an extremely high standard for a loong time.

He's also European champion, and has 3 silver medals from the ettc.
He has won the world cup once, and has 2 runner-ups.
He has won the euro top-12 7 times.
He is also 8 times swedish champion (first time in 1983 and then for the 8th time in 2006)

As for double he has:

7 swedish championships
3 european championships

In addition he also has a lot of wins from the team competitions (4 x wtttc and 7 x etttc) and some pro tour wins.

As a cadet/junior:

2 runner-ups in the cadet ettc (also team champion in 1980)
3 x junior european champion in both single and double (also team champion 1981 and 1982)

So he has been one of the absolute top players for over 20 years.And now, 28 years after he was really noticed for loosing in a close match against Äpplet for the european championship, he is still playing in the German top league, and beating players like Leung Chu Yan and Lee Jung Sam.

Now this doesn't answer why he has only won 1 european championship in single.  But it does (maybe) give an answer to why I, and many others, consider him a "god" in table tennis!

Legend

He won the mens singles at the world championships in Manchester without dropping a set in the competition. I have seen many truly world class players in my time, but none of them have ever come close to the aura and presence that surrounds Waldner.

Originally posted by Jonan I know what he's won, I can google his name too. Fact is there have been several players who have won comparable amounts of major titles. Both Kong and Liu Guoliang also completed a grand slam. Ma Lin has won 70 major titles, more than anyone. Wang Liqin has 3 singles world championships and 4 olympic medals. Schlager and Persson also have won world championships and european championships and they now play at a higher level than Waldner despite them being about the same age. Gatien won world championship, world cup, and Europe top 12. Yet people forget all these great players who have similar resumes and place Waldner as an idol.

The fact that he has kept himself stable on this level without ever looking like he struggles makes him the greatest player of all time for me.

Without a doubt the best understanding of the game. Always knowing what's coming, and always being in good position for every shot.

Using his imagination in the game, trying out new serves, and putting on a show for the viewers.

To make a comparison:

Nadal can always fight his way to a victory over Federer, and he might even end up winning more than him (if his body can keep up), but he will never be a better player in my eyes.

The reason I listed it up was because people tend to argue that he has "only" won 4 major titles, but forget that he has been absolute world class for over 20 years.

But the differnence between him, and for instance Persson, is what I mentioned above.

wasnt it he who first used the pendulum serve? [correct me if im wrong]

Originally posted by Jonan Originally posted by APW46 He won the mens singles at the world championships in Manchester without dropping a set in the competition. I have seen many truly world class players in my time, but none of them have ever come close to the aura and presence that surrounds Waldner. "Aura" and "presence" are just psychological, people think he's the best, therefore they see him as the best.

It wasn't just his win-loss record that made him a fan favourite. During his career, Kong and Liu compiled similar records. Waldner had something extra.

The quote that sums Waldner up for me is:

"You do not beat Waldner, he loses".

Whenever Waldner set his mind to something, nobody could stop him.

If you ask TT fans in China who's the best ever to play the game, most of them will tell you Waldner, Liu and Kong will come close, followed by Ma Lin and WLQ...

I always like the invented shots he did like the

Originally posted by roundrobin There's no doubt that you could make the case to nominate Waldner's sheer talent and "genius" as unmatched in history...  However, that's as far as it should go, as we all know in life, talent can only get you so far...  In terms of sheer achievements in table tennis, many have matched or exceeded Waldner's records.  In the case of Liu Guoliang, for example, he did it in a much shorter time frame than Waldner.  It's easy to conclude that Liu was better than Waldner.

Originally posted by roundrobin I am Chinese and I can assure you there are plenty of Chinese people who think Liu Guoliang, Guo Yuehua and Zhuan Zedong as the best ever.  Exactly how many Chinese participated in the survey you mentioned?

 It was a national poll in China. It matters not though, whatever you think, in 50 yrs time the players you mention will be forgotten, Waldner will not, it must hurt a bit.