The drums are beating again in the Table Tennis Super League as Chen Meng returns to the Shenzhen University club to join forces with Sun Yingsha, a move that has fans questioning the rules of the league. Last year, Chen Meng was forced to move to another club due to the rule that clubs cannot have two super players. Why return today? I'm afraid it's hard to quell the suspicions of the crowd with this change.
Wang Man Yu won the women's singles title in the World Series, and it seems inevitable that Shandong Luneng will let Chen Meng go. Chen Meng and Wang Manyu both have singles titles, but would it be wise for Chen Meng to return to SZL? Didn't Sun Yingsha also win the World Cup final? Is her strength not worth mentioning?
Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu are of equal strength and are both super players. Why did Chen Meng prefer to join the club of two young players? Couldn't she choose other clubs? As the main player and the oldest player of the national team, can't Chen Meng lead the team to fight in the league alone?
The thought-provoking aspect of this phenomenon is not that other clubs are underfunded. On the contrary, they are eager to bring in cost-effective players. Some fans naively thought that Shandong Luneng would acquire Sun Youngsha, but the club clearly had no such intention.
Wang Manyu and Sun Youngsa can play a central role in any club. After all, these young players are on the upswing of their careers. However, Chen Meng is a different story; he is more like the icing on the cake. This was evident in the just-concluded National Championship.
Chen Meng will be able to avoid elimination if his provincial team beats Han Feier in the team competition of the National Championships. If he can resist the pressure and contribute key points for his team, Shandong may be able to beat Shanxi. However, the scores were close and Chen Meng could not show his strength at the critical moments.
If Chen Meng has teammates like Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha in the provincial team, the team competition will be much easier. Different players have different game attributes. Chen Meng is a typical system player who lacks the support of a mature system and has little chance of winning the title.
Chen Meng returned to the Shenzhen University club with the aim of winning the title because it was supported by a proven system. Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng have worked together for many years and Chen Meng was lucky to meet Sun Yingsha in his later years to help him win the singles title. Chen Meng's two titles, coincidence?
Obviously, not a coincidence. The condition for Chen Meng to win the title was that Sun Yingsha had to reach the singles final. The situation would have been different if other opponents had taken their place. Why did Chen Meng win the title at the age of 27 or 28? Wasn't it because she didn't meet a good helper like Sun Yingsha? They had reached the final but the title belonged to their opponents.
In 2015, Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha worked together at the club. Now, Sun Yingsha has grown into a talent and Chen Meng is in the late stages of her career. The two are eager to win the title, but the league is highly competitive this year. Chen Meng's fans want them to recreate their 2020 league glory, but Wang Yidi's absence makes the road to the title even more bumpy.
The inconsistent performances of Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu over the past two seasons have puzzled many fans. Some believe Chen Meng should not have participated in the league this season, arguing that they, as nearly 30-year-old veterans, have no right to compete in singles unless they lead the team on their own. They have wronged the veteran.
Chen Meng is the player with the highest foreign victory rate and should focus on international competitions. If she does not participate in domestic competitions, she cannot prove her strength. Fans love Chen Meng and believe that she should not be stubborn and should focus on her health.
However, Chen Meng still insisted on participating in the league this season. The league had no international points, but Chen Meng wanted to maintain her presence. Otherwise, fans would gradually forget about her. Although Chen Meng still wanted to win the title, she was different this year from two years ago.
Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha's friendship remains unchanged and their tacit understanding remains the same. However, with the passage of time, Sun Yingsha has grown up and Chen Meng struggles to maintain better match condition. Fans are worried that she will have trouble dealing with unfamiliar young players.
This concern is not empty. Recently, Chen Meng was busy participating in activities and failed to train systematically. Achieving good results in the league has become extremely difficult. However, Chen Meng's participation in the league is a good thing, showing the power of role model. This year's Table Tennis Super League is about to start, but it has not seen any powerful foreign aid joining for a long time.
Outstanding foreigners participated in the professional leagues of other countries, and fans can only see the duel between their own players. South Korean player Tian Zhixi wants to join the league, but there is still a gap in level compared to Ito Mitsunari. It is crucial to improve the attractiveness of the league. Feel free to leave a comment to discuss and follow Erlangshen's matches to bring you the purest table tennis thinking.
