I've been watching pro table tennis pretty consistently for about 3 years now and something I've felt watching is that almost every modern tournament especially wtt ones have a distinct lack of identity to attach yourself to. For most of my life ive also watched professional counterstrike and something I noticed when comparing it to table tennis is that the physical locations of competitions have this air of aura which table tennis just lacks. One of the most prestigious tournaments is named IEM cologne, with the location having the moniker "The Cathedral of counterstrike". It just has a feeling of coolness to it which to me WTT and ITTF don't come close to. Visually every wtt tournament looks super similar, the "infinity arena" being highlighted by commentors quickly becomes hollow if every event has it. The only difference between arenas for the viewer is the colour. Although the infinity layout is cool it doesn't feel that great to watch every single event. I think it would be awesome for the finals event at the end of the year to really standout visually and with how the location is communicated to viewers, for such a hyped up event by commentors it really just feels like a champions event.
Anyway that's my thoughts
I agree wholeheartedly. The staging makes every event feel big, but in doing so also makes it samey. I love the Olympics for this reason - it's recognizably different even if there's less production around the event itself. The pageantry of the Olympics alone makes it memorable. WTT is more of a traveling road show with a few re-used stops.
My feeling is that it's a convalescence of issues:
1) Not only the number of events, but the number of events with the same format. If the only difference between a Star Contender, Champions, and Smash is the (already small) prize money and the amount of rating points, is there really anything to get fans more excited for a Smash than a Contender?
2) Table tennis does not have any iconic locations á là Wimbledon with their own history and pageantry. The only thing we get to distinguish between an event in LA, Malmo, Yokohama etc. are some drone shots of the skyline. There's no discussion during the broadcasts about the local cuisine or culture, or why this place means anything at all to table tennis beyond a place that wanted to do business with WTT.
3) Then you have the technical limitations involved with setting up the event. It's far easier and more budget-friendly to take the "Infinity Arena" everywhere than to create a unique environment wherever you go. This I think is partially a consequence of the number of events WTT puts on, but honestly they'd probably make the same business decision even if they cut the number in half.
I don't think there's an easy solution to all of this, but mixing up which format is played at each location could give it its own flavor. Instead of holding singles and doubles at every Smash, have two be singles-only and two doubles-only (with more rounds or more games per match) for example? Or even make one Teams. That would help distinguish between Europe/US/China/Singapore.
I'd also love to see WTT/ITTF partner with a major location to build a dedicated TT arena. Imagine a "Waldner Arena" in Sweden, for instance, that could be used as a club when not hosting the annual Europe Smash and a Contender or two. How cool would that be?
