"This rubber is not correct!"

[backspacer]

Doesn’t excuse his behaviour but I can understand his frustration at the lack of racket control

Behaviour aside no racquet control is definitely a huge red flag.

 

[tzifos]

Behaviour aside no racquet control is definitely a huge red flag.

That means that most (if not all) inverted attacking rubbers could have been boosted? So more spin for these rubbers which means greater the advantage for OX long pips?

 

[NetProphet]

Here's the incident I'm referring to, at ~ 1hour 6min mark:

Yeah but Pistej was being a total dick. He went looking for a reaction and then, he got one.
Yeah Andreas tried to spin it but he was clearly annoyed by the actions of Pistej so, 50-50 at worst.
If Pistej didn't take to kicking the table and mocking his opponent none of it would have happened.

 

[ThePongCommenter]

Doesn’t excuse his behaviour but I can understand his frustration at the lack of racket control

I mean, it kind of does excuse his behavior on this occasion, all he did was say he thinks the racket is illegal and was calling for racket control

 

[Sriver1]

There are no excuses. Poor sportmanship and education.

 

[NetProphet]

There are no excuses. Poor sportmanship and education.

There is heat of the moment too, so yes, even with top sportsmanship and great education there are excuses.
We've seen poor moments from some of the greats in many sports over the years.
To say someone must be a foul playing ignorant and disregard competitive spirit, drive and the opponents behavior would be completely nonsensical.
People are only great if they don't make mistakes?
Pistej kicked the table because he was losing. And followed it up with personal taunts.
Andreas did what he did in response.
Both wrong of course but I know which I think is worse...

 

[joshmak10]

I mean, it kind of does excuse his behavior on this occasion, all he did was say he thinks the racket is illegal and was calling for racket control

In a way yes, but i think he shouldn’t have been so “aggressive” or “instigating” toward Chulong

 

[NextLevel]

Looking more closely at the video, I know the umpire from his (and my) playing days, he used to use long pips too lol...

 

[piligrim]

Yeah but Pistej was being a total dick. He went looking for a reaction and then, he got one.
Yeah Andreas tried to spin it but he was clearly annoyed by the actions of Pistej so, 50-50 at worst.
If Pistej didn't take to kicking the table and mocking his opponent none of it would have happened.

It's clearly he hit Pistej

 

[Sherpa]

In my humble opinion these rubbers ruin the spectacle of a great game and from what I've seen most players I see converting to these rubbers are just looking for a way to disrupt the game of their opponent. Just my opinion.

 

[ZFT]

Pot (boosted H3) meet kettle (slippery pips).

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

So the current agreement is that there is no friction test for pips in table tennis and that just like boosting, using pips baked in the sun or inverted rubbers worn to anti is not tested for and is practically legal?

i didn't say that.
i said I will ask, what made you gather this conclusion?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Behaviour aside no racquet control is definitely a huge red flag.

well, this is very possible, due to over stretching yourself (quantity) and little quality.
for WTT to stretch to 100 or 200 events a year, you bound to have sacrificing on quality.
either you have low quality this or low quality that, or simply no cameras, no commentary, no racket control, no something.
I'm sure one day, they could stretch to far and wide and have quality, but it isn't fair to the players - the main characters for any event.
and then you expect players to pay the "same" fees and receiving less quality. I'm sure no one will be happy, but most of them don't voice it out.
Just look at Apolonia's reaction when he asked about the table at Smash USA, he was like, why me.

The youth is the worse, the quality difference between some events are night and day apart - at the same "high" price charged by WTT.

 

[JackJohnson]

well, this is very possible, due to over stretching yourself (quantity) and little quality.
for WTT to stretch to 100 or 200 events a year, you bound to have sacrificing on quality.
either you have low quality this or low quality that, or simply no cameras, no commentary, no racket control, no something.
I'm sure one day, they could stretch to far and wide and have quality, but it isn't fair to the players - the main characters for any event.
and then you expect players to pay the "same" fees and receiving less quality. I'm sure no one will be happy, but most of them don't voice it out.
Just look at Apolonia's reaction when he asked about the table at Smash USA, he was like, why me.

The youth is the worse, the quality difference between some events are night and day apart - at the same "high" price charged by WTT.

I don’t see why they had I & II for some events back to back cause it’s just a repeat of the first one. Why not just hold the one event at that place yearly instead of I & II back to back. I feel like it diminishes the results of the first one when they hold the second one straight away.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I don’t see why they had I & II for some events back to back cause it’s just a repeat of the first one. Why not just hold the one event at that place yearly instead of I & II back to back. I feel like it diminishes the results of the first one when they hold the second one straight away.

you raise a very valid question.
its like lets hold 2 x US Open
So we can have 2 x US Open champion, back to back.

other than having ranking points/more events for local players.
or
making it affordable, so international players will fly in for 2 events, which is better for the cost of air ticket versus ranking point/match gain/played. for example, if it was just 1 feeder, you probably won't have that influx of Asians to the Feeder in USA.

so, what is the main reason of having 2 events back to back, and is the solution to the problem the correct method/solution? is it no one will pitch up?
I would rather have 2 events in different parts of USA as back to back, so this way you can promote table tennis culture. But the movement of players and officials cost money too (and there is no money).

so end of the day, we are scrimmaging a lot of events for what true purpose?

world ranking points is making players doing crazy scheduling for little to no points that expires quickly.

 

[NextLevel]

i didn't say that.
i said I will ask, what made you gather this conclusion?

Well, you can ask, but there is no point saying something is tested when the equipment for testing is not specified easily and no one has been faulted for infractions.

 

[Loop Lob Smash]

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

no one has been faulted for infractions.

and how are you certain no one (pips) has been faulted for infractions?

 

[NextLevel]

and how are you certain no one (pips) has been faulted for infractions?

You can provide the example you have in mind. Your list is inverted player faulted for rubber thickness and VOCs. If someone got faulted for friction test, you can share. I don't have to substantiate it, you can provide one example if you know of it.

 

[NextLevel]

Here is a January 2025 page on what they test for with enhanced racket testing. You can point out where friction limit shows up in there:

ITTF Unveils Enhanced Racket Control Process - International Table Tennis Federation

In a significant step toward promoting fairness and integrity in table tennis, the ITTF has announced an updated Racket Control process, set to be implemented progressively from 2025. Approved by the ITTF Council in February 2024, this enhanced procedure introduces a critical post-match...

www.ittf.com

Pre-Match Control:

• Rackets will be checked by designated racket testers for flatness, covering thickness, VOC levels, and conformity with the approved LARC list.
• Players whose rackets fail pre-match inspections may opt to switch to a compliant backup racket.
• In cases of uncertainty regarding compliance, players can either proceed with the questionable racket under the condition of post-match inspection or switch to a second racket, which will undergo pre- or post-match control depending on timing.

Post-Match Control:

• A key addition to the process, post-match inspections will be conducted immediately after matches for rackets flagged during pre-match checks or deemed suspicious.
• With the referee’s permission and the player’s presence, the racket covering will be removed to allow direct examination of the blade and covering thickness.
• Final compliance decisions will be based on these meticulous inspections, ensuring no equipment irregularities go undetected.