Dimitrij Ovtcharov the next timo boll

[chughtai]

hes only 22 nd has one of the best backhand flicks i have ever seen what do u think guys

Photo By: An Sung Ho

 

[TTOski]

I think he have potential to get better, but I don't think he will get better than Boll

 

[Rhydian]

Well, Dima has the potential to get far, very far ^^
He won't be the next Timo Boll because he doesn't look like him Just kidding
If he continues like that, he can get really far but he has to work hard for it!

 

[Anders]

I think Dima might be the one to set China as no.2 in Table Tennis World Ranking in a few years. His progress has been really amazing! Go Dima!

 

[p00litzer]

I think, Dimi is by far not as natural talented.
BUT -and it's a big one^^- he works really hard and is way more self confident than Timo. That is why, when he is in good form, he already is able to beat every one, even the top chinese players. He wasn't there a year ago, but now he definately has become a tough opponent for everyone.

I like to compare him to Patrick Baum, because they're the same "generation", that has been inspired by the play of Jörg Rosskopf and Steffen Fetzner and even Timo Boll himself. In my opinion Dimi developed way better, i.e. faster, and more solid as well as with more variety than Baum did during the same time. I think, leaving Borussia Düsseldorf and playing for Orenburg was the right decision and it helped him to develop his own style. That reckless attacking style, he can play, he likes to play and -to be honest- he HAS to play.
However, to compare him to Timo, we will have to wait, if he can hold on to that form -or maybe evolve even more.
We shall see

 

[YosuaYosan]

He is currently on fire.. See if he can keep it up..
His play's strength is now lies in his massive sidespin in his loops i think..

 

[scylla24]

Hmmm, I don't know, Boll when he was that age was a lot better.... And even at that age, was considered the biggest threat to China.

Dimi when he first appeared on the scene seemed pretty good, because he had a strange style that a lot of players weren't used to. He brought a lot of the Chinese players to six or seven games, but since then, they have gotten used to his style and have wiped the floor with him for the most part. He plays too defensive I feel like, because he isn't very fast. At the moment the trio of korean players, lee sang su, kim min seok, and jung yung sik seem like the three with the greatest potential to at least put a small dent in the Chinese dominance.

 

[scylla24]

I also feel like, of the non asian players, Shibaev has the greatest potential, not Dimi

 

[YosuaYosan]

Shibaev however, could not survive in team matches being good alone..
Korean youngsters are the real deal imo..

Not to mention Choi Deok Hwa the next Joo

 

[WiWa]

I'm rooting for the Koreans as well. But we shouldn't overlook the fact that Dima has enormous power in his shots. Most of his loops, backhand and forehand, are killers. Unlike Boll who uses his loops to build up. That is a huge pro for Dima. Boll is still way ahead of him because he is so unbelievably complete. But I think Dima and the Korean youngsters are the ones to look forward to when they develop. I'm not sure about Shibaev, he obviously has a lot of talent, but somehow it often doesn't work out as well as u would want it to.

Also for the near future I want to see Michael Maze back for 2 years without injuries, I think he can do some serious damage to the Chinese Wall as well.

By the way Dima must be on a pretty impressive winning streak at the pro tour now. Does anyone know how many matches he won in a row?

 

[sunilcse04]

Dimi is gonna fly a long way..bet that Chinese will spend some time on studying his backhand now !!

 

[Charlie]

to be honest i dont think hes got alot more left in him i think hes peaked early

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

to be honest i dont think hes got alot more left in him i think hes peaked early

I think this might be accurate. That is how I see it as well. His highest ranking looks like it was 11 although I thought I remembered him being in the top 10. But he has fallen back from that ranking and has been stuck at 15th for a while. Perhaps he will get a bounce in his rankings but it will be interesting to see how he does over the next few years.

 

[azlan]

I must agree with Carl here. Unlike tennis, you can't switch coach to improve your game. When a coach have with you for a while, he or she won't be able to see how to improve you. It takes another coach to see the potential.
Take for instance Li Na, the chinese tennis player who won the french open. She sacked her husband who was her coach for years, and got a new one. And suddenly her game improved by leaps and bounce. In badminton, Lee Chong Wei the world no 1 changed his coach..and now he's practically unplayable. He's way way too good.
So, if Dimi wants to improve, maybe he must get a different coach to realize his potentials...a coach that can see what the current coach can't.

 

[WiWa]

I must agree with Carl here. Unlike tennis, you can't switch coach to improve your game. When a coach have with you for a while, he or she won't be able to see how to improve you. It takes another coach to see the potential.
Take for instance Li Na, the chinese tennis player who won the french open. She sacked her husband who was her coach for years, and got a new one. And suddenly her game improved by leaps and bounce. In badminton, Lee Chong Wei the world no 1 changed his coach..and now he's practically unplayable. He's way way too good.
So, if Dimi wants to improve, maybe he must get a different coach to realize his potentials...a coach that can see what the current coach can't.

U might be right. Just see what a new coach did to Michael Maze.. But Dima is still young and I don't really think he is stuck. He had a tough time when he was accused of using illegal stuff and now he recovered. He has proven that he can beat practically anyone apart from the Chinese players, but I don't think he has played any of them lately. Maybe he does have the level to keep up with them already, but we haven't seen him do it yet. His playing style must be a pain for every player. If he can improve his blocking a bit so he doesn't go into 2nd position when defending as much as he does now I think he can get really good. Of course Timo leaves big shoes to be filled, but we will see.

 

[MrRothhaendle]

Even for the chinese topplayers dima can be very dangerous when he's on fire!
Dima in an excellent condition and shape is hard to beat for anyone...

I have to mention that Dima has really good nerves, he keeps cool even at the crucial points

 

[Charlie]

dima will have hes moments where hes in form but then he will go back to the standard hes at now he has too much to compare too with timo being german and being the big European at the moment