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Wang Hao (table tennis)
Encyclopedia
Wáng Hào is a Chinese table tennis
player. He became the World Champion
in Men's Singles in Yokohama, Japan in May 2009, defeating 3-time World Champion Wang Liqin
4-0. Other notable accomplishments are the 3-time World Cup
Champion in 2007, 2008 and 2010, Singles Silver medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics
and 2008 Summer Olympics
Games. Having won both the World Cup and World Championship titles, Wang Hao still needs an Olympic Gold medal in order to earn a Grand Slam, which would place him within the league of such legendary players as Jan-Ove Waldner
and Liu Guoliang
. In January 2010, Ma Long
replaced him as the #1 rank on the official ITTF world rankings. Previously he has been ranked #1 on the official ITTF world rankings for 27 consecutive months from October 2007 to December 2009. As of April 2011 he is again the top ranked male player in the world.
His reverse-sided backhand, popularly known as Reverse Penhold Backhand (RPB), is a standout stroke because he does not need to step around the table to use his forehand, unlike most penhold players who need to step around to cover up a relatively weaker backhand. The use of the reverse-side of the racquet was originally pioneered by former champion Liu Guoliang
, but was largely unknown before Wang's domination since it was considered to be unorthodox and was rarely used by players in the professional scene.
Compared to most pen-hold players on the professional circuit, Wang Hao uses the reverse-side for almost all shots on the backhand side, with the small exception of balls placed very slow and deep within the table during serves. This style of using the reverse-side exclusively for the backhand was considered to be improper, and when he first joined the national team most players did not think highly of him. Regardless of Wang Hao's future performance, his rise to the top of the world table tennis rankings has convincingly demonstrated the viability of this new style, and his contribution to the table tennis community will forever cement his place in table tennis history.
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player. He became the World Champion
World Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
in Men's Singles in Yokohama, Japan in May 2009, defeating 3-time World Champion Wang Liqin
Wang Liqin
Wang Liqin is a Chinese table tennis player. As of October, 2011, he is ranked 8th in the International Table Tennis Federation . He began playing at the age of 6 and was picked for the Chinese men's national squad in 1993 when he was only 15 years old. Wang is the last man since Jiang Jialiang to...
4-0. Other notable accomplishments are the 3-time World Cup
Table Tennis World Cup
The Table Tennis World Cup has been held annually since 1980. There had been only men's singles until the inauguration of women's singles in 1996 and team competitions in 1990. The team competitions, the World Team Cup, were canceled until the relaunch in 2007, and now held in odd-numbered years...
Champion in 2007, 2008 and 2010, Singles Silver medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
Games. Having won both the World Cup and World Championship titles, Wang Hao still needs an Olympic Gold medal in order to earn a Grand Slam, which would place him within the league of such legendary players as Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner is a Swedish table tennis player. He is known as "the Mozart of table tennis" and is a legend in his native Sweden as well as in China. In China he is known as 老瓦 Lao Wa - "Old Wa" or 常青树 Chang Qing Shu - "Evergreen"...
and Liu Guoliang
Liu Guoliang
Liu Guoliang is a Chinese table tennis player who won all titles at major world tournaments including World Championships, World Cup and Olympic Games. The second man to achieve a career grand slam of 3 majors . He is considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time.-Biography:Liu...
. In January 2010, Ma Long
Ma Long
Ma Long is a male table tennis player. He is now ranked 1° as of October, 2011 in the International Table Tennis Federation .- Equipment :...
replaced him as the #1 rank on the official ITTF world rankings. Previously he has been ranked #1 on the official ITTF world rankings for 27 consecutive months from October 2007 to December 2009. As of April 2011 he is again the top ranked male player in the world.
Equipment
Wang Hao currently uses a DHS Hurricane Hao blade with a DHS Skyline III Blue Sponge (Black) for his forehand and a Butterfly Sriver topsheet on a Bryce Speed sponge (Red) for his backhand.Playing style
Wang uses a pen hold grip. He is representative of a new wave of penhold players, having good attacking and defensive skills off both wings of the table. The greater freedom of the wrist involved in a penhold grip allows Wang Hao to generate large amounts of spin on the forehand side. As a result he is capable of high percentage attacking play well within the range of the table.His reverse-sided backhand, popularly known as Reverse Penhold Backhand (RPB), is a standout stroke because he does not need to step around the table to use his forehand, unlike most penhold players who need to step around to cover up a relatively weaker backhand. The use of the reverse-side of the racquet was originally pioneered by former champion Liu Guoliang
Liu Guoliang
Liu Guoliang is a Chinese table tennis player who won all titles at major world tournaments including World Championships, World Cup and Olympic Games. The second man to achieve a career grand slam of 3 majors . He is considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time.-Biography:Liu...
, but was largely unknown before Wang's domination since it was considered to be unorthodox and was rarely used by players in the professional scene.
Compared to most pen-hold players on the professional circuit, Wang Hao uses the reverse-side for almost all shots on the backhand side, with the small exception of balls placed very slow and deep within the table during serves. This style of using the reverse-side exclusively for the backhand was considered to be improper, and when he first joined the national team most players did not think highly of him. Regardless of Wang Hao's future performance, his rise to the top of the world table tennis rankings has convincingly demonstrated the viability of this new style, and his contribution to the table tennis community will forever cement his place in table tennis history.
Achievements
- 1996: joined Jilin ProvincialJilinJilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
Table Tennis Team - 1998: joined National Team and turned pro
- 1999 World Club Championships:
Champion, team - 1999 Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships: Champion, team;
runner-up, men's singles and men's doubles - 2000 World Club Championship: Runner-up, men's team
- 2001 Ninth National Games: Champion, men's team
- 2002 ITTF Pro TourITTF Pro TourThe ITTF Pro Tour is a series of table tennis tournaments introduced by International Table Tennis Federation in 1996, in order to improve the quality of the sport. It includes 6 events: Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Doubles, and Men's and Women's Singles Under 21...
, Netherlands: Champion, men's singles; 
third, men's doubles - 2002 ITTF Pro Tour, Egypt: Champion, men's singles; third, men's doubles
- 2003 47th World Table Tennis Championships2003 World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe LIEBHERR 2003 World Table Tennis Championships was held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from May 19 to May 25, 2003. It was the 47st edition to be contested. Liebherr Group is the title sponsor of the Championships.-Medal table:...
: Runner-up, men's doubles. - 2003 ITTF Pro Tour, Croatia: Champion, men's singles and mixed doubles
- 2003 ITTF Pro Tour, China: Runner-up, men's singles and men's doubles
- 2003 ITTF Pro Tour, Denmark: Champion, men's doubles
- 2003 ITTF Pro Tour, Sweden: Champion, men's doubles
- 2003 Asian Table Tennis ChampionshipsAsian Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe Asian Table Tennis Championships is a biennial table tennis tournament regarded as continental championships by International Table Tennis Federation . From 1952 to 1972, the tournament was organized by the Table Tennis Federation of Asia...
: Champion, men's team and men's singles; third, men's doubles - 2004 47th World Team Table Tennis Championships2004 World Team Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe 2004 World Team Table Tennis Championships was held in the Al-Arabi Indoor Hall of Doha, Qatar from Match 1 to March 7, 2004. This decision was announced in May 2001. It is the 47th edition to be contested.-Medal table:-Events:-References:**...
: Champion, men's team - 2004 OlympicsTable tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympicsthumb|rightTable tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Galatsi Olympic Hall with 172 competitors in 4 events.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...
: Silver medal, men's singles - 2004 World CupTable Tennis World CupThe Table Tennis World Cup has been held annually since 1980. There had been only men's singles until the inauguration of women's singles in 1996 and team competitions in 1990. The team competitions, the World Team Cup, were canceled until the relaunch in 2007, and now held in odd-numbered years...
: Third, men's singles - 2004 ITTF Pro Tour, Greece: Champion, men's singles; runner-up, men's doubles
- 2004 ITTF Pro Tour, South Korea: Champion, men's doubles; runner-up, men's singles
- 2004 ITTF Pro Tour, Changchun: Champion, men's doubles; runner-up, men's singles
- 2004 World Cup: Champion, men's singles
- 2005 48th World Table Tennis Championships2005 World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe 2005 World Table Tennis Championships was held in the Shanghai Grand Stage of Shanghai, China from April 29 to May 6, 2005.-Medal table:-Events:-Men's singles: Wang Liqin def. Ma Lin 4-2: 11-9, 3-11, 8-11, 11-9,11-9, 11-7...
: Champion, men's doubles - 2005 Asia CupAsian Cup Table Tennis TournamentThe Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament is an annual table tennis tournament held by Asian Table Tennis Union . The 1st edition of the Asian Cup was held in 1983, including singles events of both Men's and Women's.-Results:...
: Champion, men's singles - 2005 Asian Table Tennis Championships: Champion, men's team
- 2005 Qatar Open: Champion, men's doubles
- 2005 China Open: Runner-up, men's doubles (Harbin); Runner-up, men's singles (Shenzhen)
- 2006 48th World Team Table Tennis Championships2006 World Team Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe 2006 Liebherr World Team Table Tennis Championships was held in the AWD-Dome of Bremen, Germany from April 24 to May 1, 2006. It is the 48th edition to be contested.-Medal table:-Events:-Reference:**...
: Champion, men's team - 2006 World Cup: Runner-up, men's singles
- 2006 ITTF Pro Tour, Slovenia: Champion, men's singles
- 2006 ITTF Pro Tour, Croatia: Champion, men's doubles
- 2006 ITTF Pro Tour, Qatar: Champion, men's doubles
- 2006 ITTF Pro Tour, Japan: Champion, men's doubles; runner-up, men's singles
- 2006 Asian GamesTable tennis at the 2006 Asian GamesTable Tennis was contested by men and women at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar from November 29 to December 7. It was one of six sports to begin prior to the Opening Ceremonies on December 1...
: Champion, men's singles and team - 2007 World Table Tennis Championships2007 World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe 2007 World Table Tennis Championships was a table tennis tournament that took place in Zagreb, Croatia from May 21 through to May 27, 2007. China won a clean sweep of all the gold and silver medals.-Medal table:-Events:-Men's Singles:...
: Runner-up, men's doubles; third, men's singles - 2007 World Cup: Champion, men's team and men's singles
- 2007 ITTF Pro Tour, Slovenia: Champion, men's singles
- 2007 ITTF Pro Tour, CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
: Champion, men's doubles - 2007 ITTF Pro Tour, ShenzhenShenzhenShenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
: Champion, men's singles and men's doubles - 2007 ITTF Pro Tour, NanjingNanjing' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
: Champion, men's doubles; runner-up, men's singles - 2007 ITTF Pro Tour, Japan: Champion, men's singles; runner-up, men's doubles
- 2007 Asian Table Tennis Championships: Champion, men's team and men's singles; runner-up, men's doubles
- 2008 Olympics: Champion, men's team
- 2008 Olympics: Silver medal, men's singles
- 2008 World Team Table Tennis Championships2008 World Team Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe 2008 Evergrande Real Estate World Team Table Tennis Championships was held in the Guangzhou Gymnasium of Guangzhou, China from February 24 to March 2, 2008. This decision was announced in May 2005. It is the 49th edition to be contested.-Medal table:...
: Champion, men's team - 2009 World Table Tennis Championships2009 World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe 2009 H.I.S. World Table Tennis Championships were held in Yokohama, Japan, from 28 April to 5 May 2009. The Chinese team dominated the competition, following their sweep of the gold medals in table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
: Champion, men's singles and men's double with Chen Qi - 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships2010 World Team Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe 2010 Liebherr World Team Table Tennis Championships was held at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia from May 23 to May 30, 2010. This decision was announced in May 2007. It was the 50th edition to be contested.-Medal table:-Events:...
: Champion, men's team - 2010 World Cup: Champion, men's singles
- 2010 Asian Games: Silver Medal, men's singles
- 2011 World Table Tennis Championships2011 World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe GAC GROUP 2011 World Table Tennis Championships was held at the Ahoy indoor sporting arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands from May 8 to May 15, 2011. This decision was announced in February 2008. It was the 51st edition contested. The tournament was organised by the ITTF and The Netherlands Table...
: Runner-up, men's singles; third, men's doubles