Ma Lin is really the epitome of what a table tennis player should be. Even though during his prime he was eclipsed by WLQ, and because I play shakehands, WLQ barely squeaks past Ma Lin as my favorite player, Ma Lin really exemplifies everything that a table tennis player should be. His mastery of the serve, short game, and the 3rd ball attack is unparalleled and in my opinion those are the most impressive skills to have in table tennis, because you need a level of quickness, skills, and tactics to master them that surpasses most other parts a point.
During his prime, Ma Lin dominated in the Super league more than any other player, despite losing to WLQ in international tournaments.
I think it is poignant that when asked, most pros, single out Ma Lin and not the other Chinese players as the hardest to play against, ie William Henzell in his response to my post in a different thread, and Schlager's interview on youtube. His play style is just so foreign to most players of the world, who aren't used to playing the epitome of the penhold style, since they face the European style mostly.