It was announced that China’s Ma Long was elected as the Team Captain for the 2014 World Team Championships in Tokyo, but it seems that Ma Long will not be the only one who is feeling the pressure during the competition. Olympic champion Zhang Jike appears to also have big responsibilities at the championships. China’s head coach Liu Guoliang regards the Grand Slam champion as the leader who will maintain the morale of the team, which puts pressure on the player.
Zhang Jike in his opening match in Tokyo - Photo by: ITTF
Liu Guoliang commented “In the prior team competitions, Zhang Jike lost quite a number of matches, so in this Olympic cycle seen as he is already the leader he must take the responsibility of stabilising the morale of the team.”
Zhang Jike lost out to Germany’s Timo Boll in the 2012 Olympic Men’s team semi-finals, and in last year’s Team World Cup he was defeated by Chen Chien An. Being the only Grand Slam player currently in the Chinese team, Zhang Jike is facing high expectations from not only his coach but also his team mates and his fans.
Take a look back at the previous World Team Championships final between Timo Boll and Zhang Jike:
He knows that he must be on top form for the championships and that he must minimize his mistakes as they could be costly. He commented “The responsibility I assume in the team right now is certainly different, therefore in this upcoming World Team Championships there is certainly a level of pressure.”
What are your thoughts? Can China be defeated? Could pressure interfere with the players, or will this pressure help them rise to victory?
For all the latest news, results and videos from the World Team Championships click here. To catch up on all the latest highlighted matches from the World Team Championships in Tokyo visit our Media Library.
Like and tweet our articles to the World. Lets spread the word of Table Tennis.
Written by: Emily Standing
Source:
TableTennisDaily
Zhang Jike in his opening match in Tokyo - Photo by: ITTF
Liu Guoliang commented “In the prior team competitions, Zhang Jike lost quite a number of matches, so in this Olympic cycle seen as he is already the leader he must take the responsibility of stabilising the morale of the team.”
Zhang Jike lost out to Germany’s Timo Boll in the 2012 Olympic Men’s team semi-finals, and in last year’s Team World Cup he was defeated by Chen Chien An. Being the only Grand Slam player currently in the Chinese team, Zhang Jike is facing high expectations from not only his coach but also his team mates and his fans.
Take a look back at the previous World Team Championships final between Timo Boll and Zhang Jike:
He knows that he must be on top form for the championships and that he must minimize his mistakes as they could be costly. He commented “The responsibility I assume in the team right now is certainly different, therefore in this upcoming World Team Championships there is certainly a level of pressure.”
What are your thoughts? Can China be defeated? Could pressure interfere with the players, or will this pressure help them rise to victory?
For all the latest news, results and videos from the World Team Championships click here. To catch up on all the latest highlighted matches from the World Team Championships in Tokyo visit our Media Library.
Like and tweet our articles to the World. Lets spread the word of Table Tennis.
Written by: Emily Standing
Source:
TableTennisDaily
