Fan Zhendong of China celebrates after the table tennis men's singles final at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

 
Chinese table tennis Olympic champion Fan Zhendong has joined the Table Tennis Bundesliga, German club 1. FC Saarbrücken announced on Sunday. In the club's official statement, Fan said: "I am looking forward to the new challenge in Saarbrücken and the TTBL. I'm very excited to be part of this club, to experience a new environment, and to celebrate many successes together with the team."

Following the official announcement, Truls Moregardh, who will now be Fan's teammate at Saarbrücken, expressed his excitement, calling it an honor to play alongside him. 

Everything happened so suddenly and so quickly that it's still hard to fully believe But it's real, Fan will play for us, Team manager Nicolas Barrois said. This is not only a milestone on the competitive level, but also a major moment for our club, as well as for German and European table tennis as a whole, he said. 

The Chinese Table Tennis Association expressed its understanding and respect for the athlete's personal decision and stated that it will fully support and ensure he maintains a high level of performance, continuing to contribute to the success of the sport, according to a report by the People's Daily.

In 2024, Fan won the men's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, becoming the 10th Grand Slam winner in the history of China's national table tennis team and the third to complete a "Super Grand Slam." 

The Saarbrücken table tennis club has competed in the German Bundesliga since 2009, according to China News Service. In 2020, it won its first Bundesliga championship and has also finished as runner-up on multiple occasions, China News Service reported. The team also won consecutive Table Tennis Champions League titles in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons.

This marks Fan's first time joining a foreign club in his professional career, but he is no stranger to Saarbrücken. In October 2016, he won the men's singles title at the Table Tennis World Cup held in Saarbrücken, becoming the youngest men's singles champion in the tournament's history, according to a report by domestic news site southcn.com.

Global Times