Sabine Winter switches to antispin

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Amelie Solja went down this path, but she was never very popular within the German selectors, so I think she ended up playing for Austria.

I did an interview with her many years ago (probably not appropriate for me to post the link), and she said that she was not welcomed to the German National team because she used anti.

So while I'm pleased to see this move to offer her something different, I feel there is still a lot of people at the top that will frown upon this.

yep, Amelie's story was a sad one indeed.
However Amelie was never established as a two wing looper as Sabine is.
Sabrine already made top German Pro level

and there has been struggles too. Many that I am not in the liberty of sharing.
Sabrine is still an offensive player and would also attack with anti, unlike many of the more defensive approaches in the world.
So top 50 in the world for end of 2025 - I'm supporting Sabrine!

here is some of her own message share shared in regards with her transition. She really made it look FUN and MAD.

Video 1

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Video 2

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[Metaxa]

I love watching Mladenovic play ,I agree that he doesn't have a strong enough F.H to challenge further up the rankings!! Still love seeing different rubbers at the pro level!!! Hope Winter can make it work for her !!!

Sorry but we're not going to compare L. Mladenovic to Sabine Winter now, are we? Sabine has long since proved that she can play table tennis both BH and FH and she is going to master that with an anti-rubber soon too. I don't see it with Luka. He is a textbook example as a garage player. In my eyes, that youngster has not (yet) mastered a single table tennis strokes by the book or very limited (FH). He owes his BH solely to his Anti but those moves....Give that boy an inverter on his BH and he doesn't hit a single ball. Has he ever trained on his BH with an inverter?
I do want to admire him for his perseverance and belief in himself but he may never become a top 50 player.
Excuse my words but this is what I observe.

 

[Metaxa]

my sources tell me, Sabine has one of the strongest will power out there and she is really training hard to make it work.
and it isn't for retirement or life after pro. She is giving it another shot.

So, hopefully time will tell and we can see if this is truly a lovely story.

It is so serious that she has already been in communication with Andro to provide a special rubber for her (yes EJ. watch this space). I can't say too much, maybe am already in trouble saying this, haha

Thank you very much for your explanation. I don't understand it though. Still changing at that age. I think she understands herself that she has reached the maximum of her career or is she hoping to rise a few more places? And why? At a certain point, you have to be satisfied with what you have achieved with your capabilities. In any case, she must still love the ‘game’!

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Thank you very much for your explanation. I don't understand it though. Still changing at that age. I think she understands herself that she has reached the maximum of her career or is she hoping to rise a few more places? And why? At a certain point, you have to be satisfied with what you have achieved with your capabilities. In any case, she must still love the ‘game’!

you are more than welcome.

I'm not sure how long it was in her bucket list, but I was told last year she wanted to change, but there were challenges and she was only able to change recently.

Her FH was always strong, so she knew that she can challenge top players with her FH.
but during rallies on both wings, she can't out pace the Asians.
So speed is a problem, and with what the Indians has shown, in terms of how they played with the adjustments of tempo and speed, it has affected some of the best players in the world, so this gave her the idea to try out anti and to really give it a goal and set a target of top 50 in the world with anti by end of 2025.
Se isn't becoming half attack and half defense, but rather attacking with anti too, and at times to change tempos with the anti.
I think she is still learning the trade and will be making adjustments based on improved ability to control the ball with the anti.

why now if you ask me?
I think now she has the freedom to do what she wants, and as my first post above, this will give her more fun and challenges ahead.
A pros career, is actually very taxing and becomes boring. For her, it is over 20 years of the same thing, day in and day out. Some times you just need some boost, or something to make the sport exciting again and she is very determined for this next chapter.

Whether it is successful or not, the journey would be very enjoyable.
So for me, the value in this story is not world ranking, or success or failure of it, but rather, the vitality behind it.
Because I have seen way too many boredom after long careers and table tennis phobia comes from it, and many who retire, don't even want to play ever again. The only time they could still touch a racket, could be income related in the forms of coaching, so to me, that is a sad thing.

lets hope her journey is successful, but regardless, its the effort that counts!

 

[Rinforzando]

my sources tell me, Sabine has one of the strongest will power out there and she is really training hard to make it work.
and it isn't for retirement or life after pro. She is giving it another shot.

So, hopefully time will tell and we can see if this is truly a lovely story.

It is so serious that she has already been in communication with Andro to provide a special rubber for her (yes EJ. watch this space). I can't say too much, maybe am already in trouble saying this, haha

anti rubber or normal rubber ?
It seems really serious indeed, she had a talk with Carlos Muhlbach who plays with glanti too in 2nd bundesliga despite the fact that Muhlbach was the coach of the opposing team.

 

[Rinforzando]

Amelie Solja went down this path, but she was never very popular within the German selectors, so I think she ended up playing for Austria.

I did an interview with her many years ago (probably not appropriate for me to post the link), and she said that she was not welcomed to the German National team because she used anti.

So while I'm pleased to see this move to offer her something different, I feel there is still a lot of people at the top that will frown upon this.

Well, I think it's different with Amelie, Amelie has really an indian playstyle, disruptive short pip on forehand and glanti on the backhand it is at the extreme. On the other hand Sabine has a proper forehand and bakchand technique.
Maybe I'm in denial but for me the situation seems a bit different.

 

[Rinforzando]

Sorry but we're not going to compare L. Mladenovic to Sabine Winter now, are we? Sabine has long since proved that she can play table tennis both BH and FH and she is going to master that with an anti-rubber soon too. I don't see it with Luka. He is a textbook example as a garage player. In my eyes, that youngster has not (yet) mastered a single table tennis strokes by the book or very limited (FH). He owes his BH solely to his Anti but those moves....Give that boy an inverter on his BH and he doesn't hit a single ball. Has he ever trained on his BH with an inverter?
I do want to admire him for his perseverance and belief in himself but he may never become a top 50 player.
Excuse my words but this is what I observe.

Well, he uses his anti close to perfection. If Sabine can master it the same way as Luka, I can see definitely her becoming a top 25 player, but maybe I'm too optimistic ? Luka with only his glanti has been able to beat some top players like Calderano, CCY, Omar Assar...

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

anti rubber or normal rubber ?
It seems really serious indeed, she had a talk with Carlos Muhlbach who plays with glanti too in 2nd bundesliga despite the fact that Muhlbach was the coach of the opposing team.

anti
Sabine is a lovely person, and i'm sure every one (especially coaches) will all want to help her. Everyone wants to be part of this lovely story

 

[Metaxa]

Well, he uses his anti close to perfection. If Sabine can master it the same way as Luka, I can see definitely her becoming a top 25 player, but maybe I'm too optimistic ? Luka with only his glanti has been able to beat some top players like Calderano, CCY, Omar Assar...

Yes I see Sabine top 25 even faster for the very simple reason that she could play table tennis before she starts anti now. That makes a big difference to Luca who I don't see getting top 50. Just because you can knock some top players once doesn't mean you are a world player right away. I don't think it will happen to them a second time.

 

[blahness]

Yes I see Sabine top 25 even faster for the very simple reason that she could play table tennis before she starts anti now. That makes a big difference to Luca who I don't see getting top 50. Just because you can knock some top players once doesn't mean you are a world player right away. I don't think it will happen to them a second time.

I agree, unlike Luka, Sabine actually has the proper FH technique and movement to finish off weak balls. Whereas Luka basically has no finishing power on his FH. I think Sabine actually hits even harder than Luka even as a woman.

But the other problem is that a lot of women players are quite good at playing against pips unlike in the men's circuit. I saw Qin Yuxuan beat Manika Batra solidly simply by adopting the 1 push 1 loop strategy (on a very high level of course - especially some really good pushes). Many of the Japanese women also absolutely destroy pips players...

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

I agree, unlike Luka, Sabine actually has the proper FH technique and movement to finish off weak balls. Whereas Luka basically has no finishing power on his FH. I think Sabine actually hits even harder than Luka even as a woman.

But the other problem is that a lot of women players are quite good at playing against pips unlike in the men's circuit. I saw Qin Yuxuan beat Manika Batra solidly simply by adopting the 1 push 1 loop strategy (on a very high level of course - especially some really good pushes). Many of the Japanese women also absolutely destroy pips players...

Exactly it’s not that pips player are difficult to play per se. It’s that if you play them only 10% of the time when you practice while they play double inverted 90% of the tkme
And you’re a double inverted player of course you are at a big disadvantage.

The solution is pretty clear you have to increase your exposure and training to this type of player

Last year there was a period of time where I had the chance to practice a lot with a (girl) player playing long pips aggressively and not anymore (she got married). My results against pips player were better back then

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Exactly it’s not that pips player are difficult to play per se. It’s that if you play them only 10% of the time when you practice while they play double inverted 90% of the tkme
And you’re a double inverted player of course you are at a big disadvantage.

The solution is pretty clear you have to increase your exposure and training to this type of player

Last year there was a period of time where I had the chance to practice a lot with a (girl) player playing long pips aggressively and not anymore (she got married). My results against pips player were better back then

correct
table tennis is all about adapting to the opponent
and with anti or pips, there is just more adapting going on, then double inverted.

for someone like Sabine that can twiddling and using inverted to BH top spin
there is a lot more adaption going on that just the conventional defensive shot.
She already done some of those twiddling BH Top spin and the opponent was late to react.

 

[blahness]

Exactly it’s not that pips player are difficult to play per se. It’s that if you play them only 10% of the time when you practice while they play double inverted 90% of the tkme
And you’re a double inverted player of course you are at a big disadvantage.

The solution is pretty clear you have to increase your exposure and training to this type of player

Last year there was a period of time where I had the chance to practice a lot with a (girl) player playing long pips aggressively and not anymore (she got married). My results against pips player were better back then

Yes that is correct. It pays off to be 'special' in table tennis. Furthermore, different pips strokes achieve different spin reversal (even generation), and the way that it is interacting with the inverted side is also different. If you have special weapons then it is hard for other ppl to get used to your game. But even with inverted you can still play weird shots to achieve this 'weirdness' which can also pay off big time. It is a kind of mindset.

 

[Rinforzando]

being able to twiddle is one of the key to success. Opponent won't be able to use the usual strategy one loop one push because he will get attacked the second he pushes back the ball.

 

[Rinforzando]

I agree, unlike Luka, Sabine actually has the proper FH technique and movement to finish off weak balls. Whereas Luka basically has no finishing power on his FH. I think Sabine actually hits even harder than Luka even as a woman.

But the other problem is that a lot of women players are quite good at playing against pips unlike in the men's circuit. I saw Qin Yuxuan beat Manika Batra solidly simply by adopting the 1 push 1 loop strategy (on a very high level of course - especially some really good pushes). Many of the Japanese women also absolutely destroy pips players...

it depends a lot on the player, look at Kim Kum Yong, destroyed everyone at the asian championship. Usually pips player have some weakness they cover with their pips, but for Sabine I believe it's different ! Very good fh, less good backside bh compared to the best but still way better than the pips women.

 

[Metaxa]

being able to twiddle is one of the key to success. Opponent won't be able to use the usual strategy one loop one push because he will get attacked the second he pushes back the ball.

Gosh, that used to be interesting turning the wood in your hand when it was still possible to play with 1 colour. Back then, it was terribly difficult to play against a player with one side Anti and another side Feint lined. Listening well was the message then.
Now I find mostly that a player does not make it easy on himself and there is a fraction of lost time.

 

[blahness]

being able to twiddle is one of the key to success. Opponent won't be able to use the usual strategy one loop one push because he will get attacked the second he pushes back the ball.

Even without twiddling, just using LP/anti one can do rather strong attacks especially against pushes. The stronger the incoming backspin the stronger the anti 'loop' attack can be. But obviously this will be a topspin attack which can still be blocked or countered by the inverted opponent to force the chopblock again.

The other way to escape is to directly pips counter the loop which will create a much faster ball.

 

[Draycott old man]

Sorry but we're not going to compare L. Mladenovic to Sabine Winter now, are we? Sabine has long since proved that she can play table tennis both BH and FH and she is going to master that with an anti-rubber soon too. I don't see it with Luka. He is a textbook example as a garage player. In my eyes, that youngster has not (yet) mastered a single table tennis strokes by the book or very limited (FH). He owes his BH solely to his Anti but those moves....Give that boy an inverter on his BH and he doesn't hit a single ball. Has he ever trained on his BH with an inverter?
I do want to admire him for his perseverance and belief in himself but he may never become a top 50 player.
Excuse my words but this is what I observe.

I agree Luka is not the most gifted Player but he has made the best of his skill set!!! I believe it's brilliant for table tennis to have various different types of players with different rubbers.The more pro using different rubber type the better for the game in my opinion !!!

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

Kim Kum Yong is the current Asian champion

Kyoka Idesawa is the University World Champion

Sabine Winter is noticing...

 

[backspacer]

If anyone wants to watch Sabine play anti or 1. Bundesliga women in general, Weinheim is streaming their match today. It starts at 5PM German time so in about two hours.