Coach Wu Jingping to Visit Düsseldorf Club in Early October
Coach Wu Jingping, the former mentor of Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong, recently revealed that he will travel to Germany in early October. He will be visiting the Düsseldorf club, where two young players from the club had previously trained under his guidance. 
Although Wu has been retired from the national team for many years and Fan has not competed internationally for over two years, Wu continues to closely follow Fan’s progress. He provides timely advice on both technical skills and mental preparation. 
Last January, shortly after Fan announced his withdrawal from the world rankings, Wu shared screenshots of their conversations. These exchanges took place before the Paris Olympics and included Wu’s guidance and analysis of Fan’s technical strengths and areas for improvement. 
To help Fan manage the pressure of major competitions, Wu told him: “The Olympics are the highest honor for an athlete because they are the only truly global sporting event. You have the ability to achieve the greatest dream of an athlete’s life.” 
In terms of technique, Wu’s observations are meticulous. He noted that during the matches in Busan and Singapore, Fan needed to improve his handling of certain shots, particularly when opponents played a long push or engaged in short rallies. 
In April, after Fan’s last match at the Saarbrücken club, Wu also provided feedback on his tactical performance. 
During his tenure as a national team coach, Wu was known as the “gold medal coach,” having mentored Olympic champions like Wang Hao, Ma Lin, and Chen Qi. For Fan, who joined the national team at the age of 16, Wu played a crucial role in refining his playing style. 
This year marks Fan’s second season in Europe, where he competes in the German League, the German Cup, and the Champions League for his second club. According to the schedule, the German League begins in late August, and Fan is set to play for Düsseldorf against Bad Konigshofen on August 22nd. 
The reunion of coach and player in Germany this October raises the question: What insights will Wu provide to guide Fan’s future direction? 
- Original content by Table Tennis Network’s Aleit Li Long
