Table tennis: Swinging the racket billions of times, achieving a grand slam

Chapter 441 If we don't win in Doha, we'll pay with our heads!

Two hours later.

End of the meeting.

Liu Guoliang's farewell speech still echoes in my ears.

Wang Liqin's new policy blueprint has already begun.

Amidst a rustling noise, the coaches and players stood up, gathered their notebooks and water cups, and headed towards the conference room door.

Wang Liqin, Liu Guoliang, Ma Long, Qin Zhijian, Li Xun, and others did not rush to leave.

Instead, they gathered together and talked to each other.

"Dali, we swept all the gold medals at the Durban World Table Tennis Championships and the Paris Olympics."

Liu Guoliang smiled and said, "Now it's your turn."

"Ah."

Wang Liqin's expression remained calm and composed, like a sponge. "Coach Liu, I will do my utmost to inherit the fine traditions, defend the glory of the Chinese table tennis team, and continue its brilliance."

"By the way, Coach Liu."

"You should be running for the ITTF Executive Committee next month, right?"

"Don't worry, the Table Tennis Association and I will do everything we can to cooperate and assist you in your election as an executive committee member."

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is about to hold its leadership election.

Liu Guoliang is one of the executive committee candidates and the only Chinese national among them.

If the election is successful, it will enhance the Chinese national table tennis team's influence within the International Table Tennis Federation.

Hear the words.

Liu Guoliang paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

Ma Long, who was standing to the side, did not participate in the conversation between the two.

As he glanced around, he happened to see Chen Jin about to leave. A thought struck him, and he quickly walked over.

"Chen Jin".

From a distance, Ma Long smiled and extended his palm, saying, "Congratulations."

"They played exceptionally well in this World Cup."

In fact, he had already sent a message to Chen Jin on the very night Chen Jin won the championship, congratulating Chen Jin on winning the World Cup men's singles title.

Although Ma Long's current status is somewhat different, his attention to the Chinese national table tennis team has never diminished.

He followed every single match of this World Cup closely.

Hugo emerged as a dark horse, displaying incredible form and defeating Tomokazu Harimoto, Shih-Tung Lin, and Chu-Chin Wang along the way to advance to the finals with unparalleled momentum.

If Chen Jin hadn't withstood the pressure and turned the tide in the final, Hugo might have really staged a "tearing down the Great Wall" scenario.

This battle, this championship, is far more than simply about defending the glory of the Chinese national table tennis team.

Ma Long looked at Chen Jin with the expectation and praise of a senior.

"Thank you, Captain Long... no, I should say Vice Chairman Ma."

Chen Jin smiled.

"What Vice Chairman Ma?"

Ma Long laughed heartily and waved his hand, "I still prefer you guys to call me 'Captain Long'."

While talking.

Wang Liqin, Liu Guoliang, and several others also came over.

They showered Chen Jin with praise.

"The current situation in the men's division is very competitive. Hugo, Tomokazu Harimoto, Moregard, the Lebrunn brothers, Lin Yun-Ju... these foreign players are all very strong contenders."

Liu Guoliang said solemnly, "As our external partners grow, we cannot lag behind in building our talent pool."

At this point, he turned to look at Wang Liqin, his tone meaningful, "Dali, Chen Jin is the torch I left for our national table tennis team, you must treat him well."

Fortunately, Chen Jin won the World Cup, which preserved his dignity.

Otherwise, this resignation will inevitably be perceived as a self-inflicted resignation to take responsibility.

"I see."

Wang Liqin nodded, "However, Chen Jin alone cannot carry the load."

"The Chinese national table tennis team is a collective; many hands make light work."

The Los Angeles Olympics saw new changes in table tennis.

In addition to men's singles, women's singles, and mixed doubles, the gold medals for men's doubles and women's doubles have been reinstated.

At the same time, the team competition was cancelled and replaced with a mixed team competition.

This makes the pressure even greater.

"At this Doha World Table Tennis Championships, there are five events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. To be honest, the event that I'm most unsure about is men's doubles."

Wang Liqin's concerns are not without merit.

Wang Chuqin, who has the most experience in doubles, did not register for the men's doubles at the Doha World Table Tennis Championships.

Their focus is on singles and mixed doubles.

Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao, although they had won the men's doubles titles at the World Junior Championships and the Singapore Grand Slam, were also the top seed in the selection trials.

They are quite capable and have excellent teamwork.

However, since it was their first time participating in the World Table Tennis Championships, they had almost no experience in major competitions.

The other men's doubles pair, Lin Shidong, is also participating in the World Table Tennis Championships for the first time, so nervousness and pressure are inevitable.

Moreover, Lin Shidong competes in men's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Allocating physical strength and energy is a huge challenge.

As a result, in the men's doubles, only Lin Gaoyuan can truly be considered a veteran.

As one of the Five Tigers and a left-handed player, he has partnered with teammates such as Fan Zhendong and Ma Long to win many men's doubles championships.

Among the four, he has the most doubles experience.

It's important to understand that the atmosphere of the World Table Tennis Championships is completely different from that of WTT commercial tournaments.

The level of importance and impact that external competitors place on traditional competitions is often incomparable.

Therefore, competition experience is especially important.

That's why the coaching staff favors Lin Shidong and Lin Gaoyuan more than the pairing of Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao.

"Chairman Wang, please rest assured."

Facing a group of top Chinese table tennis players, Zhang Jiahao seemed to have borrowed courage from somewhere, speaking loudly as if he were making a pledge, "If Jin Ge and I can win the men's doubles title at the Singapore Grand Slam, we can definitely win the men's doubles title at the Doha World Table Tennis Championships."

"If we don't win in Doha, I'll offer my head!"

As a member of the Shanghai team, Zhang Jiahao was well aware of what the Doha World Table Tennis Championships meant for Wang Liqin, the newly appointed president of the Table Tennis Association.

This is Wang Liqin's first time serving as the president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. As his "home base," the association must provide solid results to help him gain a foothold and support him.

This statement came out.

It immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Looking at the confident and spirited young man before him, Wang Liqin smiled, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"I don't need you to bring your head to me, all you need to do is bring the trophy to me."

Wang Liqin smiled and said, "Having confidence is a good thing, but we must not let it turn into underestimating our opponents."

"There are far more variables in the competition than you can imagine."

……

The following morning, everyone rested.

At 4:30 p.m., everyone gathered at the entrance of the Training Headquarters.

Take a bus to the airport.

The flight took off on time and landed safely at Tianfu Airport.

It was already 9 p.m. when we arrived at the Chengdu National Table Tennis Training Base.

As night fell, the streetlights cast a soft glow.

The group, dragging their suitcases, arrived at the dormitory building according to their pre-assigned room numbers.

"7529..."

Zhang Jiahao took the lead and found the room number. "This room number looks familiar."

"Brother Jin, when we came here for training last year's Youth Championships, wasn't this the room we stayed in?"

Chen Jin, with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a suitcase in his hand, walked side by side with Xie Mingyang.

"Seems to be."

No sooner had Chen Jin finished speaking than Zhang Jiahao opened the dormitory door and rushed in like a whirlwind.

Pushing open the door to a secondary bedroom, I rushed to the bedside and tilted my head to carefully examine the seam between the bed frame and the wall.

Sure enough, in a place that was not easily noticed, there were a few crooked little characters carved.

—Zhang Jiahao was here!
"It really is here!" As if he had discovered a secret treasure of ONE PIECE, Zhang Jiahao grinned and laughed, "Hahahaha, what a coincidence!"

"No one can take this room and this bed from me."

Having finished speaking.

They carelessly threw their luggage down.

With a thud, she collapsed onto the bed, making a creaking sound.

Just like the Training Bureau.

The base dormitories are also three-person rooms.

Tables, chairs, wardrobes, air conditioning, and a television—the furnishings are simple, but everything is complete.

"There are two rooms left."

Chen Jin smiled and asked Xie Mingyang, "Which one do you choose?"

"I don't care."

Xie Mingyang shrugged slightly. "You choose first."

"How about... rock-paper-scissors?"

Chen Jin smiled.

"No need to bother."

Xie Mingyang dragged his suitcase and headed straight for one of the rooms.

"Hey, you said I'd choose first!"

Watching Xie Mingyang's retreating figure, Chen Jin spread his hands and walked towards the last remaining master bedroom.

Stand on the edge of the bed and rest for a moment.

I had just taken out my toiletries when I heard a knock on the door.

"Who?"

Zhang Jiahao jumped out of bed, ran forward, opened the door, and saw Li Qian.

But Li Qian was holding several thick blue folders in his hand.

"Instructor Li, it's so late, aren't you going to rest?"

Zhang Jiahao asked curiously.

"Do you think I wanted to come looking for you this late?"

Li Qian's tone carried a hint of resentment, "There's nothing I can do."

"Where are Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang?"

Hear the sound.

Chen and Xie, having already changed into their pajamas, came out of their respective rooms and asked, "Instructor Li, is there something you need?"

"The closed training will officially begin tomorrow. This World Table Tennis Championships closed training is a bit different from the past."

Li Qian didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "It used to take a month, but this time it's only two weeks, so time is tight."

"To avoid distractions, the coaching staff has issued a strict order: all cell phones, including those of the coaches, must be left in the dormitories during training and are strictly prohibited from being brought into the training hall or cafeteria..."

Hear this.

Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang are doing alright.

Especially Chen Jin.

Let alone closed training, even during regular training, Chen Jin rarely carries his phone with him.

Zhang Jiahao, however, immediately changed his expression: "We can't even bring our phones to the cafeteria? Damn, without my phone, eating doesn't taste good at all."

"Instructor Li, we're not going to have to hand in our phones again, are we?"

"If I hand over my phone, it's like they're forcing me to delete my browsing history."

Li Qian glared at him: "Didn't you say before that you were an incognito user?"

"Incognito browsing is a thing of the distant future."

Zhang Jiahao picked his nose. "Instructor Li, you only said we can't bring our phones, you didn't say we have to hand them in, right?"

"Correct."

Li Qian nodded. "In principle, it's not mandatory to hand them over; individuals can keep them. However, in special circumstances, such as violations of regulations, it may still be mandatory to hand them over."

"That's good."

Zhang Jiahao breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest, and said in a serious tone, "For the sake of my browser, I must abide by the rules!"

Knowing that Zhang Jiahao was a bit unruly, the more she paid attention to him, the more persistent he became.

Li Qian immediately stopped paying attention to him.

He handed the folders in his hand to Chen Jin and the other two.

"what is this?"

As Zhang Jiahao opened the folder, he muttered to himself, "A speech draft?"

"This is a closed training plan tailored for each of you."

Li Qian explained, "The coaching team combined the AI ​​platform to summarize the technical analysis and physical data of all your recent matches. After repeated discussions, the final decisions were highly targeted."

"Take a good look at this tonight. If you have any questions or anything you'd like to add, bring them up tomorrow."

"If there are no objections, starting tomorrow, we will strictly adhere to this training plan and execute it resolutely..."

The words were not finished.

Sudden.

Zhang Jiahao's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Getting up at six in the morning for a run? Training ends at ten at night?"

"This training plan is way too packed!"

"It's even tougher than the entrance exam for junior high school for me."

"Isn't the May Day holiday coming up soon? There should be a holiday, right?"

As he spoke, he quickly flipped through the plan, searching for holiday arrangements, and then let out an even more pitiful wail, "Wait? Only half a day off for May Day?"

"This isn't just an ox or a horse, it's practically a donkey from the production team!"

Zhang Jiahao complained bitterly, as if the sky had fallen.

at this time.

Xie Mingyang was also reviewing his training plan: "Warm-up at eight o'clock, two hours of physical conditioning from nine to eleven o'clock, and one hour of serve strengthening training..."

"Starting at 2:30 PM, multi-ball and specialized skills training..."

"Seven o'clock tonight, sparring practice."

"Training must not end before 10 o'clock."

"After 10 o'clock, we still need to review the day's training with the head coach and discuss the next tactical and technical arrangements..."

See this.

Xie Mingyang frowned slightly.

Compared to winter training, this closed training session is significantly more intense.

However, he just watched silently and did not shout like Zhang Jiahao.

Compared to Xie Mingyang and Zhang Jiahao's training plans, Chen Jin's training volume is much greater.

After all, the two only participate in singles or doubles events.
Chen Jin, however, plays both singles and doubles.

In addition, in the remarks column of his schedule, he wrote that he would participate in a "National Table Tennis Enters the Park" charity event on the afternoon of May 1st.

This means that the May Day holiday is completely ruined.

Why is doubles training scheduled after May 2nd?

Flipping through his training plan, Chen Jin looked at Li Qian with some confusion.

"According to the coaching staff's arrangements, your doubles training with Zhang Jiahao will be overseen by Ma Long and Xu Xin..."

Li Qian explained, "Ma Long has something to do and won't be able to come to the base until May 2nd."

As the head coach of the three, Li Qian had obviously already thoroughly studied their training plans.

Therefore, he could answer Chen Jinfu's questions immediately.

"What?"

Before Li Qian could finish speaking, Zhang Jiahao thought he had misheard. He picked at his ear, a hint of uncertainty on his face. "Team Leader Long? Brother Xin? Two great masters, personally in charge of guiding Brother Jin and me in our doubles training?"

"Yes."

Li Qian smiled and nodded, "Do you feel the pressure suddenly increase?"

"It's not pressure, it's motivation!"

Zhang Jiahao rubbed his hands together, his face full of excitement, "The former world number one men's doubles pair condescended to train me and Jin Ge. This is trust and also a legacy."

"Jin Ge and I will definitely inherit the mantle of Long Team and Xin Ge and become the world's number one men's doubles team!"

(End of this chapter)