[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]After Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov won the 2017 Bulgarian Open last week, teammate Timo Boll is the top seed in the 2017 Czech Open going on right now.
Boll is currently ranked #6 in the world and has been ranked #1 in the world. He is one of the only players in recent times to beat 3 consecutive Chinese players to win a major tournament when he did it at the 2005 World Cup beating Wang Liqin, Ma Lin, and Wang Hao. Timo Boll had taken a break of 1 year from the World Tour from the 2016 Korean Open to the 2017 Korean Open but now seems to be playing more frequently. I’m unsure if this is due to a new world ranking points system that penalizes players who do not play frequently. I could have practiced with Timo Boll in 1999 as I had talked to his coach and could have been in his training group in preparation for the 2000 Olympic Trials. I decided against it as the German league teams rosters were already finalized so could not have gotten league matches or tournaments. Although practicing with Timo Boll would have been great, I wouldn’t learn much tactically because his weaknesses would likely be better than my strengths. I went to Sweden instead but I do wish I could have gotten to play with someone as good as him. I did play Boll’s doubles partner at the time at the 1999 Swedish Open World Tour and played well but lost. I ended up being in a 3-way tie with him in our round robin group as he lost to someone I beat.
Another interesting thing about this tournament is a whole new set of Chinese players are playing. This could be related to the boycott from the China Open where the world top 3 Chinese players did not show up for their matches to protest their coach being removed. I do not know if they are being penalized. It does not make sense to me that China would get rid of long-time national heroes, Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang, who have won or coached players to have won so many World and Olympic golds. I think the same person who rid them also chose a taekwondo coach to be in charge of women’s soccer. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
