“Daily hope” on Boll
German table tennis men are off to a furious start to the World Cup
February 16, 2024, 10:49 a.m
The German table tennis men got off to an easy start in the World Championship, and in the end they should achieve a really big triumph. It is uncertain whether superstar Timo Boll will be able to help his colleagues at some point.
The ambitious German table tennis men got off to a great start in the World Team Championships in Busan, South Korea, even without Timo Boll. The selection of national coach Jörg Roßkopf made short work of the 3-0 win against the USA in the first group game. Record European champion Boll was missing due to inflammation of the iris in his right eye. The German Table Tennis Association hopes that the 42-year-old can travel there.
Patrick Franziska, European champion Dang Qiu and Olympic bronze medalist Dimitrij Ovtcharov did not lose a set in their games. Franziska initially beat Jishan Liang 3-0, Qiu and Ovtcharov then defeated Nikhil Kumar and Nandan Naresh in their singles with the same result. On Saturday (12 p.m./Dyn) the German team will face Saudi Arabia in the second game of Group 2.
It is unlikely that Boll will be able to play again. The top star is still having his eyes treated. But the DTTB still has “every day hope” that Boll will comply, said sports director Richard Prause. For Boll it would be his 21st World Cup participation, and he has so far been denied a title as the crowning glory of his career.
The German team sees itself as the first challenger to the long-term winners from China in Busan. Most recently, Boll and Co. made it to the final twice in a row and a total of five times at the last six team world championships since 2010, but were defeated by the Chinese there, as was the case at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Germany has never won a title in the almost 100-year history of the tournament.
The DTTB selection would achieve its first goal by reaching the quarter-finals. This would make qualification for the Olympic Games next summer perfect. Other opponents in the group stage are England and Kazakhstan.