The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

[WorkerBee]

What is the future of the Four Horsemen, Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Zhang Jike, and Xu Xin?, both as individuals and as a centerpiece of Chinese National Team planning? It looks like our hero Liu Guoliang (certainly mine) might have made a long term mistake not training replacements. I think Germany has made the same mistake, but not Japan. Having a solid core and replacements ready has been essential for all the top teams for decades. Who do you think will play the crucial roles in this, for all the teams?

 

[langel]

Wang Chuqin, maybe, or someone else?

 

[NextLevel]

What is the future of the Four Horsemen, Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Zhang Jike, and Xu Xin?, both as individuals and as a centerpiece of Chinese National Team planning? It looks like our hero Liu Guoliang (certainly mine) might have made a long term mistake not training replacements. I think Germany has made the same mistake, but not Japan. Having a solid core and replacements ready has been essential for all the top teams for decades. Who do you think will play the crucial roles in this, for all the teams?

Germany clearly is training replacements, we have Fransizka, Duda, and note that most Europeans peak in late 20s. Fransizka mostly has injury problems but if he can stay healthy he has top 10 talent and power. I am sure there are others as well, Prause is a serious thinker.

 

[langel]

Yep, and let us hope Can can offer some more Cornilleaus in the near future.

 

[rainneverever]

You don't see other guys from CNT winning trophies not because they were not sent out for tournaments but simply because they were eliminated in early rounds of main draw or even qualification stage.
Other than these 4, only FB, YA, LGY and Yu Ziyang ever won world tour titles when these 4 were absent. You don't really see some new faces on the podium of China national tournaments or the top ranking list in CTTSL.
In CNT, one has to stand out in trials to get a position in WTTC singles and team events (a position in team event equals world champion equals fame and fortune). CNT coaches cannot risk losing in team events so only solid players will play in KO matches. With ZJK fading out, the trio of ML, XX, FZD are still the core with the best results against non-CNT players and against CNT players. Other players have a lot to prove nationally and internationally.

 

[rainneverever]

Just give you some sense of CNT players participating world tour this year till German Open (till 11/11).

Player	Tours	Results
LGY	5	SF/R16/Qual last rnd/Winner/QF
LJK	5	Qual last rnd/QF/QF/Qual 2nd last/R32
FZD	4	Runnerup/Runnerup/R16/SF+(till 11/11)
XX	4	R16/SF/R16/QF
FB	4	QF/SF/QF/SF
ML	3	Winner/Winner/R16
YA	3	Winner/Runnerup/R16
ZJK	3	R16/R32/R16
Zhou Yu	3	R16/Group/R16
Xue Fei	2	R16/Qual last rnd
Zhou Kai	2	R32/Qual 2nd last
Song Zhuoheng	2	Group/Group
ShangKun	1	Runnerup
Fang Yinchi	1	R16
Li Yijie	1	R32
Wang Chuqin	1	Qual last rnd
Yu Ziyang	1	Qual last rnd
Niu Guankai	1	Group
Xu Yingbin	1	Group
Cao Wei	1	Group
Peng Feilong	1	Group

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