Chinese table tennis star and world champion Fan Zhendong has officially joined Germany's FC Saarbrücken club. On August 31, Fan will make his European debut in the first round of the Bundesliga against TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau.
The "Fan Zhendong effect" has boosted ticket sales for Saarbrücken's new season. The tickets for the original three stands in the venue were sold out in a short time, prompting the club to add new stands in the hall to meet the demand from more spectators. Nicolas Barrois, the club's team manager, told DotDotNews that tickets for the first three match days were particularly popular, with almost four times the number of tickets sold compared to usual. It is understood that tickets for the two away matches featuring Fan also sold out quickly.
The news of Fan joining the Bundesliga has shaken Europe and even the world. When discussing the impact of this on table tennis development in Germany and Europe, Barrois admitted that previously, in most cases, encountering Chinese players in international competitions meant facing them as opponents. Now, team members have the opportunity to play alongside Fan.
Fan's old friend and captain of Saarbrücken, Patrick Franziska, stated that after Timo Boll left the Bundesliga, Fan's arrival as a "new iconic figure" has made the league atmosphere incredibly lively.
In fact, in recent years, European table tennis has made significant progress—Swedish player Truls Moregard and French player Félix Lebrun won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men's singles at the Paris Olympics. At the recently concluded WTT European Smash Sweden event, Moragard defeated Chinese player Lin Shidong to claim the gold.
Barrois noted that the increasing involvement of Chinese trainers and coaches has also had a subtle influence on the development of table tennis in Europe. Some players mentioned that they have learned a lot from Chinese coaches. At the same time, whenever there is a match involving the Chinese team, the enthusiastic and vibrant atmosphere created by fans cheering on the players is also captivating.
Fan revealed at a press conference that he will compete for the club in the Bundesliga, German Cup, and Champions League this season. Now, the new season's jerseys for Saarbrücken already feature Fan's name. The team has previously won the Champions League three times in a row, and Barrois openly expressed his hope to compete in the Champions League again next year and to keep the trophy in Saarbrücken for the fourth time.
Related News:
Comment