Is Samsonov finished ?
- Thread starter Takkyu_wa_inochi
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Don't forget that Waldner and Person were way past their prime when they reached semi-finals in the Olympics.
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Yeah, but Samsonov was still a top 10 player when he reached the semi final. I don't remember their exact ranking, but Waldner and Persson were considered "has been's" when they very surprisingly reached the semi finals. My point is Samsonov probably has quite a few surprises left in him.
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Then you don't really know sports
One plays sport/table tennis for the love and passion, not for how people remember/gossip/love/hate him.
If the love and passion dies out, he will stop, else he will continue
Other teams, maybe he would be force to retire, due to youngsters taking over.
so i'm glad that Samsonov can do as he wishes
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Its important for a professional sportsman to know when it is going downhill and when you should probably stop. Just because you have passion and there is no other player in your country, one should not play forever. You can give back a lot to game after retirement to satisfy the passion for the game - like coaching, in admin and even playing in senior tour. Who knows he can touch equally great heights as a coach ala LGY. Rather than playing till 50 (and losing most of the matches ) since no other player is coming around from BLR, he should devote his time to cultivate 10 Samsonov's from BLR in the next decade.
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That way of thinking basically screams "you're useless now, get lost". Everyone who pursues their careers always hit up and down. No one is going to blame vladi for losing his matches, everyone knows he's hitting his limit due to age, but the overwhelming majority of people have respect for him for being able to play such a high level despite being 40 years old
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Why is it important ? Who makes the rules that a certain somebody should behave the same way because certain somebody thinks so ?
How do you know he is not doing his part to help up and comers ? He is already in the ITTF administration as a player's representative ...
Its time we understand people are free to live their lives as they deem fit and we should stop judging them for what they are doing and they are not doing ... as long as they are not hurting others ... live and let live man , stop judging !
How do you know he is not doing his part to help up and comers ? He is already in the ITTF administration as a player's representative ...
Its time we understand people are free to live their lives as they deem fit and we should stop judging them for what they are doing and they are not doing ... as long as they are not hurting others ... live and let live man , stop judging !
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What makes you think players retire and become coaches?
What makes you think players can become successful coaches?
That is a pretty ignorant thinking as you are assuming that the player will continue to serve the sport in another way?
If Samsonov doesn't coach, and there is no one else taking over.
TT will die out, loose funding, etc etc
So for you, maybe you don't like what he is doing.
But maybe his decision to stay on and for the survival of TT in his country?
This is why a lot of aged professionals also don't retire.
They don't really have someone else to take over....
CCY of Taiwan (i'm very close to TPE management too), if CCY stops playing, TPE will loose its high team ranking and possibly never be in the 5-8 position again, as it got to do with seeding.
Loosing olympic medal hopes + loosing world team positioning could really hurt funding and budgets for the future
There is lots of matters than oppose to just fan boy feeling on "legacy".
If Samsonov stays on to play and thus loosing but improving and creating some hope (than oppose to no hope), would be legacy on top of legacy.
And I also think you have not coach a top junior player before.
So Samsonov can just coach 10 Samsonov?
so are you saying, he should retired now and choose 50 x 5 years old, and do a 15 year plan and hope 10 of them becomes a world top 20 in 2032??
I wonder what was so difficult for his coach just to coach another samsonv (since his coach already has some experience)...
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There is one simple reason. He loves the sport. Remember this is their whole life. Just like Timo he will continue to compete until he feels it is time for him to retire. Perhaps some people might have said previously when he dropped from the top 10 that he should retire. But then he came back. Let's not forget that even at his age he is still winning World Tour Events, perhaps not as frequently as before.
The man is a legend, I don't think he should be worried about his losses towards the end of his career. We don't remember Saive or Waldner or Persson for the matches they have lost in the last days of their competitive careers. I hope Vladi continues to play for more years, he is the humblest and kindest man on the world tour and we need more like him!
The man is a legend, I don't think he should be worried about his losses towards the end of his career. We don't remember Saive or Waldner or Persson for the matches they have lost in the last days of their competitive careers. I hope Vladi continues to play for more years, he is the humblest and kindest man on the world tour and we need more like him!
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Anyone who watched Samsonov play Gionis today and wants Samsonov to retire needs to tell me what he is smoking...
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Watching him in person is amazing. You see then more clearly how much pace and power his shots have from so little apparent effort.
How does he do it? He moves like a tree. Yet his top spins seem to be three times as fast as mine lol. And I'm 6'4
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I'm certain that's also the secret to the longevity of his table tennis game. He is SUPER slow, but his game lives through placements, blocks and game genius. If he outright attacks, he does so with minimal physical effort. If you're a power player, your career is bound to be fairly short.
Who amazes me is Chen Weixing. The dinosaur is 45 (46?) years old and although also seeming a bit stiff in his movements, he is hella quick and has amazing stamina and power.
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How does he do it? He moves like a tree. Yet his top spins seem to be three times as fast as mine lol. And I'm 6'4
Tree? He is no tree!
BTW I am really looking forward to his match against Lee Sangsu in the Worlds, just wonder if he will be able to redirect all that massive power back.
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lol samsonov is definitely not slow even at that age. gionis stated that the previous match with wang yang consumed tons of his energy but he also praised samsonov's attacks and placement, he left him no chance
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Samsonov just played the kind of match that makes him want to retire. But old age is like that. Keep playing, Vladi!
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Don't you want to see what he can do at his age? Miss out on some great moments yet to come just because of what others might think or say?
No one will care if his ratings drop or that and old man doesn't have the legs to keep up with young kids, but they will not only care but also love to see if an old man takes a few of them to school.
No one will care if his ratings drop or that and old man doesn't have the legs to keep up with young kids, but they will not only care but also love to see if an old man takes a few of them to school.
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