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That FZD doesn't convince you is amazing to me but to each his own.
Are you thinking Teams or Singles? I am in my mind right now sketching a plan to see the singles in 2019. The teams would be better value but not sure whether I want to go to Korea for this...
All we need is to wait until XX and ML retire and hope that Timo will still be in a great shape by that time.
Many folks are pointing out that XX was not that good in the final and he is not a big force to reckon with. Hell, even LGL said the same. But he has not only retained his position in CNT , he did extremely well in the whole WTTTC.
It might be true he started out looking rusty in the final but it was not because his skills are going down but the fact he was nervous and not loose enough. Once he overcame his nerves, 3rd/4th set showed the real gap between francizka and him.
But as you say, Korea and Japan are looking good for the next generation. The coming CNT generation also looks good, but not overwhelming like ZJK, XX, ML and FZD. Those four make a golden generation (or generation and a half) that isn't likely to be matched anytime soon.
CNT has raised the bar for everyone including themselves. It's getting harder to dominate. It doesn't happen quickly even for the most talented and skillful players. They have to build a career trajectory that leads to dominance, and this is becoming increasingly difficult with so many more serious challengers to fill the brackets in every tournament.
From Japan there is Harimoto(who else), but who is from Korea?. The only one i can think of is Woojin because he won the Junior Championship, but he is pretty old now.
Yes indeed ML ZJK XX WH with LGL as coach were simply unbeatable. ZJK's out, XX still does not convince me as a dominator (who knows maybe he will break through but I cant really see it happenign) but franziska also didnt convince me as contender but he gave a good fight. ML even if his body does not respond as it used to is still the best player in the world and if his condition remains steady without any bad injuries we will ahve to wait 3-4 years at least. FZD LJK also do not convince me but they are still young , and the rest of the world talents are also young....so I dont know the future seems more promising compared to the past
Im not saying its gonna happen but the chances are way better now. Still in favor of china of course
That by itself is an astounding fact. I've come late to reading this and know in the end Xu Xin overcame Patrick Franziska anyway, but here's the thing. When I returned to and recovered my game, there were a lot of opponents I couldn't touch, that seemed invincible to me. But once precisely this happened, when I started to get along in and actually win more and more counterlooping rallies, then that sheen of invincibility suddenly disappeared and I began to realize they just might be within reach.
Not today for Franziska, and maybe not ever against a Xu Xin in prime form. Yet if this is true, things are at least getting from irrelevant territory into comparable, though not yet equal, footing.
But mainly because Franziska played amazing at times...It might be true he started out looking rusty in the final but it was not because his skills are going down but the fact he was nervous and not loose enough.
Having now seen FZD for real there’s no doubt that he’s the most impressive player I’ve seen. The amount of power he can generate on both wings, how he moves so quickly to each ball and is able to place it almost perfectly each time. He made Filus look like a beginner even though he’s a world class player. I thought kristian karlsson had power and speed, but look at what happened when he played FZD.
YEah but look what happened when FZD played against geraldo from portugal also
To be fair, when I said Im not convinced I made the comparison FZD vs ZJK XX ML and ZJK XX ML vs WH WLQ and ma lin
I didnt check the stats thoroughly to be accurate but its just my impression that the previous generation did better against their predecessors in important matches. Trials, chinese national games or champs and of course world competitions
p.s. I know its somehow unfair to compare, just like its pointless to compare ML vs waldner but as a flawed human being I expected him to grow faster...in the end its normal, same thing will happen to harimoto, you cant just improve everything with exponential growth
FZD is probably the best ever when it comes to power looping from both wings. But he is monotonous and lacks fantasy/creativity compared to other top CNT players, raw power does not always wins you the game. In addition he still has some problems when the pace changes suddenly either only that or with placement/tempo combination.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hUu49iPXwc
This commentary will give you a hint, the top coach of the world gives some very good insight about FZD's flaws
Agreed on all points and I've seen that commentary . I haven't seen the match against Geraldo yet, I'll have to check it to see what happened there.
Of course he has his flaws and I know he's not some unstoppable player by any means. I think you misunderstood what I meant by impressive. He was simply the one who when I saw him play in front of me impressed me the most as I couldn't believe the power he was able to produce. I suppose he was the most visually impressive player. There are lots of other impressive players, of course, but impressive in other ways.
no no I understood, I thought ZJK was the best ever in rallies but chubby just rips Buyour best FH or BH rip like its nothing for him. But his attacking prowess sometimes backfires, you dont need to rip everything to win