Ma Long interviews, matches and beyond

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Tecent Sports visited Ma Long's dorm in the National Training Center in Beijing when he was packing for Marvellous 12 Trials in Shenzhen. Besides active wears, shoes and blades/rubbers, foam roller is a must-have. Check out which book he is reading and what snacks he brought to Qatar Open but did not have a chance to eat.

 
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China Table Tennis Team received 2016-2017 “You Bring Charm to the World" award along with 10 prominent Chinese individuals and teams who impact the world. Ma Long gave an award acceptance speech.
"Every time I watch the video (of Rio Olympic Games), I get goose bumps. It feels like I were still at Rio Olympic Games. This feeling may accompany me throughout my life."
"First of all, let me express sincere gratitude to 'You Bring Charm to the World' award on behalf of China Table Tennis Team. Thank you for recognizing our efforts and devotions."
"China Table Tennis Team has achieved a lasting prosperity for 60 years, which is built on hard work. Recognition, supports and encouragements from many people give us motivations. I think table tennis is a pride of all Chinese around the world. When Chinese talk about table tennis, they all think Team China is the best. It is my great honor to be part of this team and devote myself to this team. In the future, we will keep on working hard and making more contributions to the society."

In the interview session, Ma Haoliang (editor-in-chief of Ta Kung Pao) asked, "I think Ma Long and Zhang Jike have unique roles now. They are not only athletes by convention but also Wang Hong (internet celebrities). What they do on and off the court draw huge attention. Last year Zhang Jike visited Hong Kong and taught a girl to play table tennis, which attracted many fangirls. I want to know what you think of the role as internet celebrities and whether it affects your performance on the court."
Ma Long joked, "Is it because I wear a mesh-textured red-colored jacket today?" Wang in Chinese has both meanings of internet and mesh texture; Hong in Chinese has both meanings of popularity and red color.
"I think first of all I am not a Wang Hong (internet celebrity). When people talk about Wang Hong (internet celebrities), they are not of real capability and power. Our China Table Tennis Team is very popular now because people recognize our efforts, our achievements and our capabilities. We are 'red' (popular). 20 years ago when Coach Liu Guoliang became Olympic champion, he was also very popular. But at that time there was no internet. The popularity was not comparable to what it is now. We have drawn a lot of attention now. We hope we can do our jobs. Not only fighting on the court, but also making contributions to the society and sports people."
 
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What sports does Ma Long do other than table tennis?

Ma Long enjoys playing basketball after table tennis training and matches. Ma Long has his own #1 jersey of CBA Beijing Ducks. He even calls himself "The Mailman Ma Long" because (1) the last name of the famous basketball player "The Mailman" Karl Malone sounds the same as his name and (2) Ma Long receives numerous mails from his fans.
Before Qatar Open this year, coach Ma Long posted on Sina Weibo his lineup of NBA All-star with coach Lin Gaoyuan. Coach Ma Long has Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, John Wall, LaMarcus Aldridge and Anthony Davis while coach Lin Gaoyuan has LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, DeMarcus Cousins and Joel Embiid. Whose team is stronger?

Check out how well (or badly :p) Ma Long played basketball when he was against Lin Gaoyuan after Marvellous 12 Trials

Unexpectedly, Ma Long also does mixed martial arts (MMA). He started MMA training since 2012 with wrestler and MMA fighter Yang Honggang.
Check out Ma Long's MMA training
 
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The qualification tournaments for the 13rd National Games were held in An Shan from Mar 23-29. An Shan is Ma Long's hometown. As usual, he expressed his gratitude to his supporters and fans and signed for them after the match.
Ma Long led Team Beijing to the final stage of the National Games. He defeated Zhang Chi of Team Neimenggu by 3-0, Yu Xinhang of Team Tianjin by 3-1 and Xi Sheng of Team Hubei by 3-1.
Ma Long paired with Xu Xin for men's doubles. This is the first time in National Games that free pairing across provinces is allowed. They defeated Wang Peng and Yin Jianbo of Team Hainan by 4-0 and proceeded.
When asked about his waist injury in Shenzhen during the Marvellous 12 Trials, Ma Long said after the team match on Mar 24, "I am recovering little by little. But the feeling of play is different from that before my injury. The match is to test how I've recovered since the intensity of training and rest is not comparable to real match. I need to find the feeling of play during the match."
After the doubles match on Mar 28, Ma Long said, "I still feels the injury. The recovery is little by little. I have training and matches everyday. It may take some while before the full recovery because I cannot take a complete rest. But I think after the closed training, I should be OK." "I am not restricted during the strokes. But it feels not the way it used to be. When I think about my injury, the muscles are stiff during strokes and movements. Not in a natural way. Maybe I try to protect the muscles subconsciously. So it feels differently when I was relaxed during movements." "Xu Xin and I form a pair cross the provinces and I appreciate the opportunity. I made serious preparations and I discussed with Xu Xin before the match. The result is fine."
Check out his training of singles and doubles
 
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What a surprising encounter at 2017 Shanghai auto show!

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This commercial has been on TV for a while. And there seems to be a new episode in which Ma Long acts like an agent. Cannot wait to see the full version!
 
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On Jan 7 2017, Ma Long joined the recording of JSTV (Jiangsu TV) Chinese New Year's Gala along with Liu Guoliang, Wang Tao, Ma Lin and Chen Qi. They represented different generations of China National Table Tennis Team and shared their stories and perspectives in this "appreciation get-together". JSTV Chinese New Year's Gala was broadcasted on Jan 28.

Ma Long appreciated the supports from his fans and also expressed the gratitude to his former teammate and rival Wang Hao. He said, "First of all, I want to thank all my fans. Your supports and encouragements during the past year make me move forward. I am very touched. It is my great pleasure to become your role model, and give you positive energy in your life or work. In addition, I would like to thank my former teammate and rival who is now a coach, Wang Hao. I am grateful for your retirement. Thank you."

When asked "What's your understanding of the spirits of China National Table Tennis Team?", Ma Long said, "Step down from the podium, and start from scratch. Because we will step up onto the podium again. Coach Liu Guoliang also said that what we have achieved is not the first and not the last. The achievements shall not make us arrogant. We need to get our job well done."

In the backstage interview on the same day, he shared his new year's resolution, "I hope I can remember my mission and get mission completed. I hope I can keep a good form playing during training and tournaments."

When asked to say something only for female fans, he said, "I am not good at sweet words. I want to say 'Thank you' to them. They started to know me and like me in Rio Olympic Games. It has been quite a while and they still show me their passion, which makes me moved. I hope in the new year I can have good performance in return for their support."

He read almost all the letters he received from fans. "Most letters begin with 'I have a lot to tell you but I don't know how to start'. They sometimes write to me about what make them happy or unhappy in their daily life. I feel that they regard me as an elder brother of them, not an idol Ma Long. This feeling brings me closer to them."

 
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During the closed training in Shenzhen, Team China's new theme song is recorded.
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Team China has a song series called "Ping Ping Pong Pong, No One On Par" sung by players and coaches for WTTC events since 2005. The new song "Start Again" is the 10th of the series. Ma Long has attended the recording since 2006. Can you tell the year from his look in the music videos?
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On Jan 15, Ma Long was granted Best Male Athlete of the Year at the CCTV Sports Personality Awards, the most prestigious awards for Chinese athletes. The other nominated male athletes are all gold medalists in Rio Olympic Games, including Chen Long (badminton), Long Qingquan (weight-lifting), Sun Yang (swimming) and Wang Zhen (race walk). The award presenters are Yang Yang, current member of International Olympic Committee who also presented Ma Long the gold medal of men's singles in Rio; and Wei Jizhong, former president of International Volleyball Federation, who used "sweep" to describe Ma Long's year of 2016.

Before the award ceremony, Ma Long said in the interview, "I played well in Rio Olympic Games. It is an important milestone in my career. One athlete has to beat all opponents to win the champion. Along the way there are hardships, but persistence may be keys to success. It is most important that I fulfill the dream that I have had since I started to play. In my opinion, the biggest power of sports comes from tapping the full potential of myself nonstop. 2016, perfection, Ma Long."

In the acceptance speech, Ma Long said, "I am very happy to receive the award today. Last year I was nominated the same award but it is more important in the year of Olympic Games. I am grateful to the awards committee for recognizing my performance in the year of 2016. As Fu Yuanhui (female swimmer and Olympic medalist) pointed out, it has been a long time since China National Table Tennis Team received any CCTV Sports Personality Awards. I just learned that it has been seven years. I am very fortunate to receive this award for myself and for China National Table Tennis Team. I feel very happy. I shall express gratitude to many people. And I want to express special gratitude to all my fans today. I am thankful that you recognize me from Rio Olympic Games. I am very glad to become your role model and bring strengths to you in your daily life or work. When I face hardships, it is joyful to have your supports and encouragements. I am very touched. There is still a long way ahead of us. I wish we can make efforts together and cheer each other up together. Be the best we can be. Appreciate and cherish. Thank you."

When asked what made China National Table Tennis Team attract such huge attention from the market and crowd in 2016, Ma Long said, "I think it is Rio Olympic Games that make more and more people recognize and learn about our team. Some myths were prevailing, like it is rather easy to win the champions in table tennis and our team do not have rivals around the world. However, in Rio Olympic Games, people realized that we also had hard times during the matches, and our rivals were strong. They started to appreciate our efforts and endeavors. That's how we won the hearts of table tennis fans and made more people change the stereotypes."
 
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Check out the latest interview of Ma Long during the closed training for 2017 WTTC. He talked about the changes brought by the new ball, his new coach Ma Lin, doubles with Timo Boll and expressed gratitude to fans for their constant supports.


"The closed training is very intense. I hope the closed training in the new Olympic cycle can help me make adjustments accordingly to the new ball and to the new injury. As the training goes on, my form is getting better. My performance, my view of the new ball, and my perspective on the new Olympic cycle are all better than those at the beginning.

It is only two months since we switched to the new ball. I think it not easy to perform at the same level as before. The new ball will bring new changes and it is impossible to use the same techniques and tactics. I think this is what players including myself have to adjust in the following training. Adjustments may be needed to understand the new ball and to make technical and tactical plans.

Ma Lin, Coach Ma switched from a player and senior brother to a coach very rapidly in my opinion. It took me much longer time than him to get used to his new role. From the beginning I told Coach Ma that it is a tough job to coach me. I am reluctant to express myself and he has to read my mind. It is great that Ma Lin took the initiative and we don't have problems communicating. As a new coach, he is proactive in the training and practice matches, cheering me up as if it were the major tournaments, which motivates me a lot.

In the closed training, I have a half-hour training of doubles every afternoon. I have played doubles with Timo Boll for a couple of times. We have very similar style of techniques and tactics. When we play doubles, we don't need too many variations. However, we do need to discuss on technical and tactical plans at crucial moments. That's the first priority. In last WTTC, I think we played pretty well. It was unlucky that we met Chinese pair at the second round. We had chance on that day leading 2-0 but Zhang Jike and Xu Xin played very well. If they had not performed to the best, we would have won the match. I wish we can have some luck in the draw this time.

To fans: First, I am grateful that they are supporting us as before. It has been a long time since Rio Olympic Games and they are constantly supportive. It is quite surprising and different from the Olympic hype. I hope the fans will cheer for Team China when they watch tournaments abroad. Hopefully their study or work won't be affected and they will be appropriate and follow the instructions in the stadium. "
 
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The success of players never comes without the efforts and devotions of their coaches. Undoubtedly the most important coach of Ma Long is Coach Qin Zhijian who has been with him since Jan 2006 before he becomes the head coach of men's team in Apr 2017. Coach Liu Guoliang also plays an important role in Ma Long's career. Ma Long are grateful for them and shared some personal stories between the coaches and himself in a TV show, which we can discuss in more details in a separate post.

Ma Lin is Ma Long's new coach since Apr 2017. In the latest interview, Ma Long metioned that he told Ma Lin "It is a tough job to coach me". How tough can it be? Coach Qin Zhijian knows how stubborn Ma Long is and that's why his hair turned grey in his early 30s. He once asked the journalist in an interview, “How come all of you think Ma Long is obedient? Judging from his look?" Good luck, Coach Ma Lin!

Ma Long said that it took him some time to get used to Ma Lin's new role as a coach. They were rivals and teammates. Ma Lin "saved" Ma Long in 2010 Moscow WTTC team events when Ma Lin secured a 3-1 victory for CNT after Ma Long's loss to Timo Boll. Ma Lin kissed the table after the match. This must be an unforgettable moment for Ma Long because he also kissed the table after he completed his mission of beating Team Japan 3-1 in Rio Olympic Games.
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Off the court Ma Long and Ma Lin are good friends and brothers. On Ma Lin's retirement from CNT, it was Ma Long who presented him a bouquet. Ma Long together with Xu Xin were Ma Lin's best men in his wedding. When Ma Long wished Ma Lin a happy birthday in Feb this year, he also made fun of him saying "You look much slimmer. I am referring to the tee." because Ma Lin put on some weight and the tee he was wearing is actually a gift from Ma Long. Now Ma Lin calls the new coach-player duo "Maybach", which logo consists of a fat M (Ma Lin) and a slim M (Ma Long) :D.
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