NANYANG, China, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Ma Long's world title-winning partner in men's doubles, Xu Xin, says the Chinese skipper can stay in top form because of his cautiousness.
"Ma Long's technique and tactical system may not be the most advanced nowadays, but he plays the strongest table tennis and keeps winning at the age of 32. It's incredible," Xu said.
"In my opinion, his success is in large part down to his cautiousness."
31-year-old Xu, who paired with Ma to win the World Championships in Rotterdam ten years ago, lifted the men's doubles trophy alongside Ma in China's Olympic simulation competitions here on Friday.
Xu and Ma, who won the Olympic Games table tennis men's team title together in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, were both named in China's Olympic roster for Tokyo 2020 a fortnight ago, with world No. 1 Fan Zhendong leading the squad.
Making his world championships debut as early as 2006, Ma became the first male paddler in over half a century to win three straight world titles, with his latest coming in Budapest in 2019.
Rumors suggested that Ma would consider retirement after being crowned at the men's singles Olympic event in Rio and winning table tennis' Grand Slam.
The Chinese men's team skipper, however, decided to have knee surgery in August 2019 to be fully fit for the Tokyo Olympics. Ma made a heroic comeback by winning the 2020 ITTF Finals, 15 months after undergoing surgery.
"What impresses me most is that Ma, after all these years on top, still takes every player on the other end of table seriously, every training session and every game," Xu further explained.
"You can see that he does very thorough preparation work for every match and makes every move against the opponent's weak point.
"As a top global player for almost a decade, Ma Long makes himself great through thorough and persistence.
"That's why I always believe in him," Xu added. Enditem
