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Actually, Japanese women were even more of a victim than China because they used to send more players to tours. In any case I prefer the tour now and I don't miss separation by association.

I don't think the seeding is unfair. Much ado about nothing.

The real issue is the travel schedule of the European players. There is no point really in having then adjust to time zones repeatedly when they can just plan to spend extended time in Asia and Australasia. It is the same thing that drives putting the opens in Europe back to back later in the year.

Third player only plays the team event or mixed doubles. Doubles is an issue for the team and Persson has been playing really well. Moregardh will likely go as an alternate and not play this time. The only way he goes is if he partners with Karlsson well as Falck is likely to play singles. Or...

It took her forever to mature (she is already 25 unfortunately for her) vs the DN-LXX-LSW generation so she will only have 4 years if any. I suspect WMY and SYS will be the next champs and skip a generation.

Of course there is some opinion involved. But my point is that the Grand Slam analogy is not entirely useless - after all, the Superleague matches are best of 5, while pro tour are best of 7. There were of course some best of 7 domestic events like the National Games and national champs. It is...

Sure. The ITF and ATP are related organizations. But Grand slams are best of 5 while regular matches are best of 3 nowadays so one can choose both records as saying something. The surface differences are also part of tennis so there are all kinds of distinctions people make to evaluate...

I have no doubt that the table contributed to aforementioned form and that it will be a bit different with a normal table in Australia.

He was so out of form that he signed up for an extra tournament to regain it. Xu Xin taking a picture with that table was not an accident.

I agree with you, having made many of the points you have made in other contexts. I just hope they can do this again in Australia. It is hard when your best weapon is the short push to have it taken away from you so badly that all you can do is push long and hope your opponent misses.

Yeah I do. Does anyone track Dima or Boll'a records playing for Orenburg or Borussia Dusseldorf seriously? Just because it is the toughest league in the world doesn't make it anything other than a league. It isn't the kind of thing you peak for, you usually use it to peak for other things...

It is like counting friendly matches in soccer. ITTF results already include continental championships. No need to count domestic events as if they say something special.

Yes, Ma Long fans like to count those matches that were played in Super League for practice.

Yes but it isn't fun to see a match where one player can't return the other's serve like he usually does. The balance of XX definitely played a role and hopefully they will get a chance to do this again in Australia.

Ma Long couldn't push Xu Xin's serves short. That made the match a joke. Not sure whether to celebrate the victory or blame the table.

Is it fair/right to use a table with a different surface from what players are used to? Can't the ITTF stop crap like this?

If it was the old rating system, I suspect he would still be top 10.

And the truth is that he is not that far from the top, he is losing to mostly the best players in the world. On the tour, Lin Yun Ju has been his biggest hurdle. IMO, he was supposed to beat Lin Gaoyuan, but the result was what it was. In the European games, he lost to Jonathan Groth, who...

Yeah, but I am not a believer that Ma Long can beat his opponents in any manner he chooses - at least not anymore. I think in his recent struggles, he has needed more time to find the optimal way to play them because he keeps playing them initially as if he is faster than them, then has to back...

I don't think this contradicts what Loopadoop pointed out. Sometimes, what worked against a player in the past doesn't work when you play them again. I don't think it was all about level, it was about accepting that he had to do more. He wasn't going to beat KK in that match just exchanging...