Ma Long style Getting older?

vik · Jun 10, 2018

Ma Long starts to play passive like Waldner. He likes to push and block or contratack. If you look at china open vs fzd 1.game He pushes a lot and let Fzd to attack, He was lucky in 2.game and won. IT did not work with HT. If you look 5 years ago or wttc 2015, even Rio Olympics, he did not let oponent to attack,He tried to open up first, now he becomes more passive like Waldner. He is not fired up at the start and add more steam when he has to, but with HT was too late

OrienteTT · Jun 10, 2018

he just lost, next time he wins, and his style will be the trend.

yuri.saldon · Jun 10, 2018

OrienteTT said:
he just lost, next time he wins, and his style will be the trend.

+1
He cannot lose a single match that people in the internet start this kind of topic.

There is good days and bad days for players and this rule still valid to Ma Long. I think this lost will improve him.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

vik · Jun 10, 2018

I like him.he is my favorite player,but you can notice ,first game he tries to block,short game,if it is not enough he steps on the pedal.It is not only my opinion.
https://zoomtt.com/2017/06/11/ma-long-fan-zhendong-the-best-final-ever/

CroneOne · Jun 10, 2018

The difference is,
ML can back up his decisions to let the opponent attack. I think that he got caught off guard because Harimoto's attack is not only powerful, but it's faster and more deceptive than FZD. Close to the table, off the bounce, the shots are coming at you with far less time to think. TH also puts a lot of variation in placement, not just the typical Chinese BH to BH contest.
ML will see this game as a lesson and be ready next time.
That said, this is the first time that I can see TH being a threat to ML in 2020 because the kid is so young. 2 more years to evolve...he will be incredible in the Olympics.

vik said:
Ma Long starts to play passive like Waldner. He likes to push and block or contratack. If you look at china open vs fzd 1.game He pushes a lot and let Fzd to attack, He was lucky in 2.game and won. IT did not work with HT. If you look 5 years ago or wttc 2015, even Rio Olympics, he did not let oponent to attack,He tried to open up first, now he becomes more passive like Waldner. He is not fired up at the start and add more steam when he has to, but with HT was too late

reiser · Jun 11, 2018

I have read so many different opinions and analyzes about this historical game and the victory of Harimoto against Ma Long,but there is no one to look at this complicated detail about the result.Harimoto won 4 sets with the total sum of 49 points,and ML won only 2 sets with a total sum of 52 points

RidTheKid · Jun 11, 2018

That is really irrelevant since it's about winning the correct points and the sets.

reiser said:
I have read so many different opinions and analyzes about this historical game and the victory of Harimoto against Ma Long,but there is no one to look at this complicated detail about the result.Harimoto won 4 sets with the total sum of 49 points,and ML won only 2 sets with a total sum of 52 points

reiser · Jun 11, 2018

RidTheKid said:
That is really irrelevant since it's about winning the correct points and the sets.

i just wanted to make a point of thinking here.sorry you didnt get it

RidTheKid · Jun 11, 2018

Oh I got it, but I also get what counts towards winning.

reiser said:
i just wanted to make a point of thinking here.sorry you didnt get it

Ilia Minkin · Jun 11, 2018

When I watched the China Open final, I also noticed how his style changed, it was just outright obvious. Even before he was more into passive receives, rather than banana flick everything. But this time it was taken to an extreme. Probably his ability to recover plus accumulated injuries to this point cannot allow him to play the brute force table tennis anymore. Instead, he can capitalize on the experience and understanding of the game to stay in the business longer. To compete in Tokyo, he needs to run a marathon. If he sprints, he will get exhausted too early.

RidTheKid · Jun 11, 2018

Indeed. Just compare China Open final and the match vs Mizuntani in Rio 2016, or vs Fang Bo in WTTC 2015. He was all over the place delivering absolute lazer beams.

Ilia Minkin said:
When I watched the China Open final, I also noticed how his style changed, it was just outright obvious. Even before he was more into passive receives, rather than banana flick everything. But this time it was taken to an extreme. Probably his ability to recover plus accumulated injuries to this point cannot allow him to play the brute force table tennis anymore. Instead, he can capitalize on the experience and understanding of the game to stay in the business longer. To compete in Tokyo, he needs to run a marathon. If he sprints, he will get exhausted too early.

kenshiro · Jun 11, 2018

last week was the best and this week is getting older? i dont tink so, ma long look tired and have reasons for that and the yong harimoto is exploding with energy like is normal for a kid of is age. still is amazing for a kid is age playing that level!!

shinshiro · Jun 11, 2018

I remember some weeks ago he said that he wants to be "evergreen" like Timo Boll. Some months ago (or last year) he also said that one of his goals is to stay healthy to be able to play longer. I also agree with the comment from Ilia

Ilia Minkin said:
When I watched the China Open final, I also noticed how his style changed, it was just outright obvious. Even before he was more into passive receives, rather than banana flick everything. But this time it was taken to an extreme. Probably his ability to recover plus accumulated injuries to this point cannot allow him to play the brute force table tennis anymore. Instead, he can capitalize on the experience and understanding of the game to stay in the business longer. To compete in Tokyo, he needs to run a marathon. If he sprints, he will get exhausted too early.

ZhouZhekai · Jun 11, 2018

I believe that Ma Long said that he did not have any specific goals for the Japan Open, and did not do any preparation. From outside it seems like he is playing without any pressure, very Boll esque just enjoying the competition, and showing up at important competitions, such as China Open, which was held in front of a home crowd, and against FZD his closest Olympic place competitor(with Zhang Jike now?). However this is not to take away from Harimoto. He played with unwavering confidence and incredible precision and speed, and is the most accomplished junior player ever(maybe with Stellan Bengston who won the WTTC at 18).

Nuke Skywalker · Jun 15, 2018

reiser said:
Harimoto won 4 sets with the total sum of 49 points,and ML won only 2 sets with a total sum of 52 points

RidTheKid said:
That is really irrelevant since it's about winning the correct points and the sets.

I disagree that it is entirely irrelevant. It means that he won roughly the same amount of points in the entire match. Is it profound? No. But still relevant. Kind of like the electoral college vs. popular vote. Or when a boxer is getting out punched and decimated only to get caught by one single haymaker punch.

However, it's also skewed by the fact that when single games get away from some players, there is momentum within the game, and some folks conserve energy rather than fighting tooth and nail to preserve that single game.

RidTheKid · Jun 15, 2018

If you read your second paragraph again you have my point of view. Focus and momentum is lost easily. Especially obvious in this match since ML should've had all the momentum in the world after 2 dominant sets but still lost the 6th set and the match.

Nuke Skywalker said:
I disagree that it is entirely irrelevant. It means that he won roughly the same amount of points in the entire match. Is it profound? No. But still relevant. Kind of like the electoral college vs. popular vote. Or when a boxer is getting out punched and decimated only to get caught by one single haymaker punch.

However, it's also skewed by the fact that when single games get away from some players, there is momentum within the game, and some folks conserve energy rather than fighting tooth and nail to preserve that single game.

Nuke Skywalker · Jun 15, 2018

Another thing to consider is....he practices with and against FZD all of the time. He is infinitely more familiar with his game than Tomo's game. So comparing his play between the 2 isn't really an apples to apples comparison.

That being said, I am no CNT apologist. I tire of all of the excuses that come up every time a CNT player loses...

"LGL is gone." "They threw the match for seeding." "He was sick." "He is just having fun." "The sun was in his eyes." "He pulled a hammy."

Sometimes you just get outplayed.

Nuke Skywalker · Jun 15, 2018

RidTheKid said:
If you read your second paragraph again you have my point of view. Focus and momentum is lost easily. Especially obvious in this match since ML should've had all the momentum in the world after 2 dominant sets but still lost the 6th set and the match.

I didn't disagree with that. I disagreed with your assertion that it's irrelevant. Rather, I think it's something to note, but not entirely profound.

RidTheKid · Jun 15, 2018

ML will figure Tomo out, I've no doubt about that.

usualsuspect · Jun 15, 2018

I think by now everyone could probably agree that Harimoto played very well in Japan open. A great player on a bad day can lose to a good player who's having a good day. Ma Long didn't play nearly as good as Harimoto, that's why he lost. There's no excuse for it.
But keep in mind that this is not the olympic, not the world championship, not even a platinum event. I have to assume that after all the titles Ma Long has won, he's simply not as hungry for world tour titles as he used to be. That probably explains his low energy level. Also, Ma Long plays passively to prevent injuries. He always says that his greatest fear is injury.
The next time Ma Long plays Harimoto will be super interesting. Revenge matches always are.

Ma Long style Getting older?

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