World Tour Grand Finals 2018

[jawien]

TV programs full of Harimoto this morning in Japan

I learnt this interesting fact:
Harimoto will quit the Elite Academy this year because he wants to go to a better school. Believe it or not, he's got good grades and wants to study harder !

Well, when you look at his game, it is so rich and tactically sound. Everything he does has it's purpose and place in the overall strategy. Offers superb allround package with virtually no technical flows, modern blocking game resembling Waldner's days. Opponent awareness, ease with which he produces strokes. All of this points to how mature this Kid is and of course his intellectual abilities. They just seem to manifest themselves in table tennis, luckily for us ...

If he wins Tokyo, Grand Slam (I'd be very hesitant to say it about a year ago) and chooses to pursue other goals in life ... well we'll miss him for sure.

 

[zeio]

Last but not least...

 

[drunix80]

Interestingly, last two non-chinese champions of grand finals was also from Japan. Our very own Mizutani. I am not sure how many Chinese he took down during the process.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

I think none they were absent at that time. At least no sight of Chinese in finals or semis, I checked that

edit:
here is the answer

https://www.allabouttabletennis.com/ittf-pro-tour-2010.html

https://www.flashscore.com/table-tennis/others-men/ittf-world-tour-grand-finals-2014/

no Chinese...

 

[FruitLoop]

If he retires to study I would be amazed. Life in a normal job is not so glamorous. Why the hell would you give up what he would have for that? I would question someone's sanity tbh.

 

[NextLevel]

If he retires to study I would be amazed. Life in a normal job is not so glamorous. Why the hell would you give up what he would have for that? I would question someone's sanity tbh.

Money. "Normal" is relative. The problem with TT though is money. If he was as good at tennis as he was at table tennis, there would be no sense in retiring for a job that paid far less.

 

[Danny21312]

I think none they were absent at that time. At least no sight of Chinese in finals or semis, I checked that

edit:
here is the answer

https://www.allabouttabletennis.com/ittf-pro-tour-2010.html

https://www.flashscore.com/table-tennis/others-men/ittf-world-tour-grand-finals-2014/

no Chinese...

So that makes Harimoto's win even more impressive, because Mizutani most likely wouldn't have won if Chinese players were there.

 

[FruitLoop]

Money. "Normal" is relative. The problem with TT though is money. If he was as good at tennis as he was at table tennis, there would be no sense in retiring for a job that paid far less.

The odds of him earning more outside TT is slim. This is not a journeyman European scraping a living.

 

[jawien]

If he retires to study I would be amazed. Life in a normal job is not so glamorous. Why the hell would you give up what he would have for that? I would question someone's sanity tbh.

In terms of money or a glamours life - probably ... but in terms of motivation? I mean if he accomplishes Grand Slam in Tokyo ... what on earth could possibly top this?

 

[zeio]

Harimoto is already making a fortune with all those commercials.

 

[729B2]

In terms of money or a glamours life - probably ... but in terms of motivation? I mean if he accomplishes Grand Slam in Tokyo ... what on earth could possibly top this?

a second grad slam?

 

[NextLevel]

The odds of him earning more outside TT is slim. This is not a journeyman European scraping a living.

You don't know how much of a genius he is. Top level grandmasters make money but one who was a world championship finalist as a youth quit playing to attend medical school and played causally later in life.

I want him to stay. But people who are good at TT can sometimes make more money doing other things I'd they have the talent and discipline.

 

[jawien]

a second grad slam?

Two GS vs GS at the age of 17/18 ... debatable ... ; )
Well, true if only tt motivates you, but say he turns out to be a great mathematician, physicist or politician (God forbid ; ) ...

 

[vik]

Why no commentating in the mens final?Did hey break up with Adam Bobrow?

 

[FruitLoop]

You don't know how much of a genius he is. Top level grandmasters make money but one who was a world championship finalist as a youth quit playing to attend medical school and played causally later in life.

I want him to stay. But people who are good at TT can sometimes make more money doing other things I'd they have the talent and discipline.

Sometimes...it would be rare.

A world championship finalist chess player has a good shot at being a multi millionaire. Good luck becoming one outside. Sure he might just happen to be some fields medal level savant, but the likelihood is even if he was in the top 1% of academic achievers he wouldn't end up making shit compared to if he was a grand slam TT superstar.

Medical school, schmedical school. Maybe if you become a surgeon in the US. Harimoto will earn more than almost all doctors.

 

[NextLevel]

Sometimes...it would be rare.

A world championship finalist chess player has a good shot at being a multi millionaire. Good luck becoming one outside. Sure he might just happen to be some fields medal level savant, but the likelihood is even if he was in the top 1% of academic achievers he wouldn't end up making shit compared to if he was a grand slam TT superstar.

Medical school, schmedical school. Maybe if you become a surgeon in the US. Harimoto will earn more than almost all doctors.

You make fair points but I don't think any sport that pays $100k as top prize for its most competitive event is that lucrative. If the endorsements he will get can make him a multimillionaire, sure and I guess that there might be a couple of top stars doing similar things. Unlike tennis or soccer or major American sports, table tennis strikes me as a broke man's sport. But I will take your word for it that grand slams can make you a multimillionaire. But there is also no reason why someone like HT can't do better in a corporate job. That's my point.

 

[jawien]

Sometimes...it would be rare. [...]

Danica McKellar comes to mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsy2DEpkZ3s

A different story of course. Look guys we are far into the "if this and this and that, then what .." business, so let's just slow down a little ; )

 

[NextLevel]

Danica McKellar comes to mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsy2DEpkZ3s

A different story of course. Look guys we are far into the "if this and this and that, then what .." business, so let's just slow down a little ; )

I will remind you of this wisdom if you return to your posts to discuss how to save table tennis as they almost entirely rely on if this and that then what. .lol.

 

[jawien]

I will remind you of this wisdom if you return to your posts to discuss how to save table tennis as they almost entirely rely on if this and that then what. .lol.

Oh no, I didn't want to shut you down in the discussion by any means. Not at all. It's just that we are speculating over how Harimoto will react, if he wins the Grand Slam ... and he didn't even win one of those competitions yet. I just don't want us to fall into the commentator's curse ...
; )

 

[passifid]

Remember you can make over 1m us per year alone in cttsl without endorsements or prize money. Harimoto could easily if he wins more and more end up earning over 1m in a year . Assuming if he gets cttsl and makes a "mere" 300-400k . Although I know the majority of the money is based in performance bonus.
So Hari could easily out earn a doctor but it is much more risky. Needs to be top 10 world for a decade but a doctor can be a top million of all doctors worldwide and make bank