Mizutani-san points out the "homogenization" and "lack of adaptability" of all Japanese players
In this Table Tennis Kingdom interview, Mizutani Jun, gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, and Yoshimura Maharu, silver medalist at the Rio Olympics, had their first "deep conversation" about table tennis. The theme was "receiving." Mizutani-san points out the "homogenization" and "lack of adaptability" of all Japanese players.
He said he especially feels a sense of crisis about the standardization of style, where "when Harimoto Tomokazu starts doing something, everyone starts imitating it at once."
Yoshimura agreed, saying, "After listening to Mizutani-san's talk, I felt a sense of crisis about the entire Japanese team." He stressed the importance of Japanese players improving their ability to adapt to opponents. Furthermore, Mizutani-san suggested improvements to aim for the top of the world, saying, "Japanese table tennis needs explosive power like Korea."