After changing coaches + physical injuries + technical changes, Wang Manyu admitted that he has been in poor condition for more than a year.
Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha were once considered the best singles candidates for the Paris Olympics. After all, Chen Meng is a little older. After Wang Manyu won the women's singles championship at the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston and the National Games in 2021, the overall upward momentum will surpass Sun Yingsha. 。However, in the whole year before the 2023 Olympics, Wang Manyu was a little off track. It was the fifth main force Chen Xingtong who "double-killed" Wang Manyu in the finals of the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban and Nagoya, blocking him from the quarterfinals and losing a lot of points. So why did Wang Manyu suddenly decline so much?
There are many reasons: first, Xiao Zhan left and had a good tacit understanding with Xu Hui. Xiao Zhan's departure will definitely have an impact on Wang Manyu. Xiao Zhan trained the fastest Grand Slam player like Zhang Jike, and Sun Yingsha's head coach Qiu Yike also studied under Xiao Zhan back then. Wang Manyu's current head coach is Xu Hui, and the two have not made much breakthroughs after working together. On the contrary, in terms of out-of-competition guidance, Wang Manyu trusts Ma Lin more. Secondly, injuries affect the quality of the shot.
In 2023, Wang Manyu will also suffer from repeated problems such as knee injuries and back injuries. As a representative of the masculine style of women's technical play, Wang Manyu's winning method is high-quality snowboarding and strong holding ability. Plagued by injuries, Wang Manyu was unable to play as well as he should. Third, the results of technological transformation are not obvious. One of the reasons why Wang Manyu left Xiao Zhan was to pursue technological reform. The reason why Wang Manyu was able to gain the upper hand in the showdown with Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha in 2021 was because Xiao Zhan gave her a very solid foundation for holding each other.
However, with the improvement of Sun Yingsha's ability to hold on, especially Sasha's offensive in the first three boards, Wang Manyu has always relied on the midfield platform to defend and counterattack. This style of play is no longer an advantage. Therefore, he switched to Xu Hui to seek technical improvements and strengthen the attack of the first three boards. This is what Wang Manyu wants to break through. However, with just over a year to go before the Paris Olympics, the head coach is about to change. There is a risk that this adjustment will succeed or not. Coupled with the aggravation of injuries, Wang Manyu's training is not very systematic.
At the Asian Championships, she defeated the top three players in the world to win the women's singles title. Wang, who remains healthy, is still in the top two.
Wang Manyu is not the favorite to win the 2023 Asian Championships. She was ranked No. 5 in the world at the time and eventually defeated Chen Meng, Wang Yidi and Sun Yingsha in the women's singles competition. Some fans also said that Wang Manyu's way of winning the championship was too domineering. She toppled the top three players in the world rankings to claim the title. Wang, who remains healthy, should have a slight advantage over Chen Meng and a chance to win against Sasha.
But now that Sun Yingsha has a perfect match in the first three boards, Sasha's chances of winning will be greater. Despite falling behind in points, Wang Manyu still reached the women's singles final at the Singapore Grand Slam. Next is the Macau World Cup, the Incheon Championship, etc., and theoretically she has a chance to surpass Chen Meng. Recently, in an interview with Wang Manyu, she reviewed the year and looked forward to the current situation. She also believes that every competition is extremely important to her.
Do you think Wang Manyu may stage a desperate counterattack after the Asian Championships and defeat Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha to win the women's singles championship? It's too hard, isn't it?