I think some people are going for minutia and missing the forest while focusing on the leaves of some of the trees.
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Waldner was great. He was an innovator. The game would not be the same without some of the things the Swedish team he was part of unleashed on the table tennis world.
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Kong Linghui then Wang Liqin were evolutionary developments. Both were amazing. Perhaps both surpassed Waldner in some ways.
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Wang Hao was an innovator. I am not sure RPB has been taken to the level he took it to before or since. ZJK took a technique developed by Korbel and showed how it could be used as a weapon on any part of the table to nullify the effects of the short game (over the table BH). If you knew what you were watching, he was also amazing at varying spin.
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All these players were great. And I am not one to normally say anyone is the best ever. Also, I confess, Ma Long has never been a player I really love. He is amazing. I do love to watch him. But, there are other players I like more and could say I am more a fan of.
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Still, saying that, nobody, Nobody, NOBODY has stood so far above everyone else in an era so full of great players. So, I am okay with people saying Ma Long is the best ever, in spite of the fact that I feel best ever really is something the media uses to generate hype and to get enthusiasts and fanatics to argue over minutia.
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When the money is on the line, since around 2015, nobody has put a dent or even a small scratch in Ma Long's prodigious suit of armor.
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And really, he performed in big tournaments, small tournaments....any tournament he showed up to....he always came to play. It is worth acknowledging even if I joke around.
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Still, I say Der could give him run for his money if they were in a club full of middle-aged Korean ladies.

Der needs something to motivate him.
