Ma Long

Ma Long
Personal information
Native name	马龙
Nationality	China
Born	(1988-10-20) October 20, 1988 Anshan, Liaoning, China
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb)
Table tennis career
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Equipment(s)	(2016)DHS Hurricane Long version 5, DHS Hurricane 3 NEO National (FH, Black), Tenergy 05 (BH, Red) or DHS National orange NEO
Highest ranking	1
Current ranking	1 (May 2016)
Club	Zhejiang Ningbo Haitian
Medal record Olympic Games 2012 London Team World Championships 2006 Bremen Team 2008 Guangzhou Team 2010 Moscow Team 2011 Rotterdam Doubles 2012 Dortmund Team 2014 Tokyo Team 2015 Suzhou Singles 2016 Kuala Lumpur Team 2009 Yokohama Doubles 2009 Yokohama Singles 2011 Rotterdam Singles 2013 Paris Singles Asian Games 2006 Doha Team 2010 Guangzhou Singles 2010 Guangzhou Team 2014 Incheon Doubles 2014 Incheon Team 2006 Doha Doubles Asian Championships 2005 Jeju-do Team 2007 Yangzhou Doubles 2007 Yangzhou Team 2009 Lucknow Singles 2009 Lucknow Doubles 2009 Lucknow Mixed doubles 2009 Lucknow Team 2011 Macau Singles 2011 Macau Team 2013 Busan Singles 2013 Busan Team 2015 Pattaya Team 2007 Yangzhou Singles 2013 Busan Doubles 2005 Jeju-do Mixed doubles 2011 Macau Doubles World Cup 2009 Linz Team 2010 Dubai Team 2011 Magdeburg Team 2012 Liverpool Singles 2013 Guangzhou Team 2015 Halmstad Singles 2015 Dubai Team 2014 Düsseldorf Singles 2008 Liege Singles 2009 Moscow Singles ITTF World Tour Grand Finals 2006 Hong Kong Doubles 2008 Macau Singles 2009 Macau Singles 2011 London Singles 2015 Lisbon Singles 2011 London Doubles 2013 Dubai Singles 2007 Beijing Singles 2007 Beijing Doubles Asian Cup 2008 Sapporo Singles 2009 Hangzhou Singles 2011 Changsha Singles 2014 Wuhan Singles China National Games 2013 Liaoning Singles 2013 Liaoning Mixed Doubles 2013 Liaoning Team 2009 Shandong Singles 2009 Shandong Team 2005 Jiangsu Singles 2005 Jiangsu Doubles All China Table Tennis Championships 2015 Haerbing Doubles 2014 Hubei Singles 2014 Hubei Doubles 2012 Zhangjiagang Mixed Doubles 2012 Zhangjiagang Team 2011 Jiangsu Singles 2011 Jiangsu Team 2010 Zhangjiagang Doubles 2008 Zhangjiagang Singles 2008 Zhangjiagang Doubles 2008 Zhangjiagang Team 2007 Wuxi Singles 2007 Wuxi Doubles 2007 Wuxi Team World Junior Championships 2004 Kobe Singles 2004 Kobe Doubles 2004 Kobe Mixed Doubles 2004 Kobe Team 2003 Santiago Mixed Doubles 2003 Santiago Team Asian Junior Championships 2004 New Delhi Singles 2004 New Delhi Doubles 2004 New Delhi Mixed Doubles 2004 New Delhi Team 2003 Hyderabad Doubles

Template:Chinese name Ma Long (simplified Chinese: 马龙; traditional Chinese: 馬龍; pinyin: Mǎ Lóng; born 20 October 1988) is a Chinese male table tennis champion. As of April 2016, he is ranked number 1 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), which he has been for a total of 44 months, more than anybody else other than Wang Liqin (54 months). Ma was born in Anshan, Liaoning, China. He won a record 5 ITTF World Tour tournaments in a row, including a streak of 35 sets. Starting in December 2007, he has been in the top 5 in the ITTF World Ranking, and has been in the top 3 since September 2011. Since March 2015, he has been world #1.

Playing style and Career

Ma is arguably the best two-winged looper in table tennis history. His serves appear to be traditional pendulum serves, but are some of the most visually deceptive in the world. Ma's playing style is that of the modern strategy of close-range third ball play, as his range of attack is nearly unparalleled. At the beginning of his career, his play strategy was primarily forehand-oriented, dominating play with powerful forehand loops, only using his backhand for controlled returns and to set up the forehand. He still plays a forehand-oriented style, but his backhand has become more consistent and stable as his career has progressed. Ma uses his backhand mainly to aggressively block incoming loops, but will occasionally loop himself. Opponents are usually caught off guard when he suddenly loops with his backhand, which he can do near the table or away from it. Compared to when he was younger, he is much more confident using his backhand to attack and defend. He is also the most prominent employer of the chop block on the Chinese National Team, which he uses to counter slow loops with heavy side spin.

After winning both the Asian and World Junior Championships, Ma became the youngest world champion at 18 years old after he participated in the 2006 Bremen World Team Championship. Ma developed his foundations under the tutelage of Wang Hao and former Chinese National Team coach Ma Kai Xuan before studying under Qin Zhi Jian. Before turning 22, he had great success in singles, reaching the finals of 11 ITTF World Tour tournaments (winning 8). He won the Asian Cup and World Tour Grand Finals twice, and also made it to the final round of the Asian Championships two times (losing to Wang Hao in 2007 and winning in 2009). In addition, he played in the finals of the China National Games and All China Championships, losing both matches to Wang.

Despite being the #1 player in the world for much of 2010–2012 stretch he was not chosen to represent China at the 2012 Olympics due to his temporary dip in ratings following a 560-day win streak on the ITTF World Tour. He first lost to Lee Sang-su at the 2012 Korea Open, 4-1, and then was upset by Koki Niwa in six games at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament. Players were selected based on the ITTF World rankings list. As a result, he was not given an opportunity to win an Olympic medal in singles at the time when he was widely accepted as the best table tennis player in the world.

Chinese National Team coach Liu Guoliang remarked that Ma had all the tools necessary to be the best, yet at major tournaments, he had so far lacked sufficient mental toughness to play to his full ability when under pressure. This was evident in his losses to Timo Boll and Vladimir Samsonov in the 2008 and 2009 World Cup semifinals as well as his defeats to Wang Hao (4-1, 4-2, 4-2) in the semifinals of three consecutive World Championships (2009, 2011, and 2013). Although he performed well on the ITTF World Tour and in domestic competitions, Ma never made it to the final of the World Championship in his first four attempts. This led to many believing he was inferior to compatriot Zhang Jike, who completed his Grand Slam in just over a year.

After his third defeat to Wang Hao at the WTTC in 2013, Ma had a successful year. He won the China Open at two different locations (beating Wang and then Xu Xin in the final), the Asian Championships (for the third time), and the China National Games in a full-stretch match against phenom Fan Zhendong. However, Xu defeated him 4-3 at the end of the year at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.

In March 2014, he won the Asian Cup for the fourth time, again defeating Fan in seven games. At the 2014 WTTTC, he didn't lose a single set. In the final against Germany, he played a pivotal role, beating Timo Boll in the opening match and defeating Dimitrij Ovtcharov for the win. For his efforts, he was awarded the Victor Barna Award as the tournament's best player. He then won the China Open for the fifth time, which tied him with Wang Liqin for the most ever. Ma's first encounter with Zhang Jike at a Grand Slam competition came in October 2014, at the World Cup in Düsseldorf. Although he was leading 3-2 in sets, Ma lost the match, saving two match points in the deciding game but still losing 10-12. This led to further criticism of his inability to come through on the biggest stages at the toughest moments. In November, he reached the final of the All China Championships, but was defeated by Fan, 4-2, again ending the year on a sour note.

However, 2015 would prove to be Ma's year. He won the Kuwait Open, beating Xu Xin 4-1 in the final, and then the German Open, getting revenge on Zhang Jike in an intense final after being down 3-1. But his biggest win came at the 2015 WTTC, where he did not drop more than one set until the final where he defeated tournament sensation Fang Bo in six games. This was a huge breakthrough for him, as his only other major singles title was the 2012 World Cup. After a surprising 4-1 loss to Shang Kun at the Japan Open, Ma won the China Open for a record sixth time, winning 4-1 against Xu Xin. In September, he led Ningbo over Fan Zhendong and Bayi to win the Chinese Super League championship. Injuries prevented him from competing at the Asian Championships, but he participated in the World Cup in Halmstad in October. Following a dropped set to Omar Assar in the round of 16, he did not lose another game in the competition, allowing his opponents to score an average of 6 points per set the rest of the tournament. He did not participate in the last two World Tour tournaments of the year, again due to injuries, but still was seeded first at the World Tour Grand Finals because he had won 3 other World Tour tournaments. In the final, he faced Fan again, winning 11-9 in the last game of a full-stretch match, coming back from being down 3-2 in sets (after being up 2-0), including down 8-6 in the sixth and 6-2 in the decider (when he won 8 points in a row). In 2015, Ma only lost once in international competition and just five times overall. Winning the World Cup, along with the WTTC, the ITTF World Tour tournaments, and the Grand Finals, in addition to being number one in the world, puts Ma in excellent position to contend for a spot in the singles at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2016, Ma Long won the German Open, beating Vladimir Samsonov 4-1 in the final, but Zhang Jike beat him in the final of the Kuwait Open 4-1.

There is a lot at stake for Ma in the upcoming Olympics: if he wins, he will be the fifth male player to complete a Grand Slam, and the second male player ever to be the defending champion of all three majors at the same time (Zhang Jike being the first). In addition, he will have won every important singles competition possible, from majors to the ITTF World Tour to domestic competitions. The only other player who has done that is Deng Yaping.

Career records

Singles (as of December 2015)

• World Championships: winner (2015); SF (2009, 2011, 2013); round of 16 (2007).
• World Cup: winner (2012, 2015); runner-up (2014); SF (2008, 2009).
• ITTF World Tour winner (22): Kuwait, German Open 2007; Korea, Singapore Open 2008; Danish, Kuwait, China (Suzhou), English Open 2009; German Open 2010; China (Suzhou), Austrian, Swedish Open 2011; Hungarian Open 2012; Qatar, China (Changchun), China (Suzhou) Open 2013; China (Chengdu) Open 2014; Kuwait, German, China (Chengdu) Open 2015; German, Qatar Open 2016.
  Runner-up (11): German Open 2005; Japan, Swedish Open 2007; UAE, China (Shenzen) Open 2011; Slovenian, China (Shanghai) Open 2012; Kuwait, Korea, UAE Open 2013; Kuwait Open 2016
• ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015); runner-up (2013); SF (2007).
• Asian Games: winner (2010).
• Asian Championships: winner (2009, 2011, 2013); runner-up (2007).
• Asian Cup: winner (2008, 2009, 2011, 2014).
• China National Games: winner (2013), runner-up (2009), SF (2005).
• All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2004, 2007, 2014); SF (2008).
• World Junior Championships: winner (2004); QF (2003).
• Asian Junior Championships: winner (2004)

Men's Doubles

• World Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2009); round of 16 (2007).
• World Tour winner (16): China (Harbin) Open 2005; Slovenian Open 2006; Swedish Open 2007; Danish, Qatar, English Open 2009; Kuwait, German Open 2010; China (Shenzen), Austrian Open 2011; Slovenian, Korea, China (Shanghai) Open 2012; China (Suzhou), China (Changchun) Open 2013; China (Chengdu) Open 2014.
  Runner-up (10): China (Shenzhen) Open 2005; Singapore Open 2006; China (Shenzhen) Open 2007; Qatar, Korea Open 2008; Kuwait Open 2009; China (Suzhou) Open 2011; Kuwait, Qatar, Korea Open 2013, China Open 2014.
  SF (1): Kuwait Open 2016.
• ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2006); runner-up (2011); SF (2007).
• Asian Games: winner (2014); SF (2006).
• Asian Championships: winner (2007, 09, 13); SF (2011).
• China National Games: SF (2005).
• All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2010, 2015); runner-up (2006, 2007, 2014); SF (2008).
• World Junior Championships: runner-up (2004).
• Asian Junior Championships: runner-up (2003, 2004).

Mixed Doubles

• Asian Games: QF (2006).
• Asian Championships: winner (2009); SF (2005).
• China National Games: winner (2013).
• All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2012); runner-up (2008).
• World Junior Championships: runner-up (2003, 2004).
• Asian Junior Championships: winner (2004).

Team

• Olympics: 1st (2012)
• World Championships: 1st (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016).
• World Team Cup: 1st (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015).
• Asian Games: 1st (2006, 2010, 2014).
• Asian Championships: 1st (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015).
• China National Games: 3rd (2009, 2013)
• All China Table Tennis Championships: 1st (2011, 2012); 3rd (2007, 2008, 2010).
• Chinese Super League: 1st (2009, 2012, 2013, 2015); 3rd (2014).
• World Junior Championships: 1st (2003, 2004).
• Asian Junior Championships: 1st (2004).

Summary of Accomplishments

• Olympic Champion (1 Team)
• 8x World Champion (1 Singles, 1 Doubles, 6 Team)
• 7x World Cup winner (2 Singles, 5 Team)
• 38x ITTF World Tour winner (22 Singles, 16 Doubles)
• 5x ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Champion (4 Singles, 1 Doubles)
• 5x Asian Games winner (1 Singles, 1 Doubles, 3 Team)
• 12x Asian Champion (3 Singles, 2 Doubles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 6 Team)
• 4x Asian Cup winner (4 Singles)
• 2x China National Champion (1 Singles, 1 Mixed Doubles)
• 6x All-China Champion (1 Singles, 2 Doubles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 2 Team)
• 4x Chinese Super League Champion (4 Team)
• 3x World Junior Champion (1 Singles, 2 Team)
• 3x Asian Junior Champion (1 Singles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 1 Team)
• 2015 ITTF Male Star of the Year

Other

• Went unbeaten for 40 singles matches by December 2011.
• Did not drop a set in 5 tournaments: Swedish Open 2011, WTTC 2012, World Team Classic 2013, WTTC 2014 and 2016.
• In singles, he has won the World Tour Grand Finals 4 times, the China Open 6 times, the Asian Championships 3 times, and the Asian Cup 4 times, the most ever.
• One of two players to sweep all four medals in an Asian Championship (Fan Zhendong).
• Most ITTF World Tour singles titles (26) of any male Chinese player ever.
• Does not have a losing head to head record with any players who he played more than once (counting Chinese competitions, not counting injury withdrawals). His worst records are against Wang Hao (21-17) and Vladimir Samsonov (8-5). The only players who have a winning record against him are Daniel Gorak and Koji Matsushita, who both won their only meetings with Ma in 2006.

See also

• China at the 2012 Summer Olympics#Table tennis
• Table tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's team

References

• Career profile of Ma Long Table Tennis Master
• Ma Long Game records
• Ma Long Technique and training videos