Chinese table tennis superstar and Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Fan Zhendong has joined German top-tier club 1. FC Saarbrücken TTK for the 2025-2026 season, the Bundesliga side announced Saturday (May 31). The shock transfer was confirmed hours after Fan posted "Guten Morgen, München!" on social media.
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.
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.
The move drew immediate acclaim from teammates, with German Olympian Patrick Franziska welcoming Fan on social media. China Table Tennis Association publicly endorsed the transfer, pledging "full support to maintain his competitive excellence."
Currently in post-Olympic recovery, Fan plans to regain form through domestic and international club competitions before his Bundesliga debut. The signing marks the highest-profile acquisition in German table tennis history, elevating the league's global standing overnight.
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