The greatest table tennis players of all time

Picking the greatest table tennis players of all time always starts a debate, because the sport has changed so much: the ball, the paddle, the scoring and even the number of events. So this list is not a strict ranking. It brings together the players who dominated their eras, with the titles every fan recognizes: Olympics, World Championships and World Cups.

For active players, titles listed are those won through 2025. Current rankings change every week and are left out.

What is a "Grand Slam" in table tennis?

In table tennis, a player completes the Grand Slam by winning, over their career, the three biggest individual titles: Olympic singles gold, the World Championships singles and the World Cup singles. Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner was the first to do it, and several Chinese players have done it since.

Legends of the modern era

Ma Long (China)

For many, the greatest of all. Ma Long is the only man with two Olympic singles golds (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020), and he added four team golds from London 2012 to Paris 2024, for six Olympic golds in total. He was world singles champion three times in a row: 2015, 2017 and 2019. His game combined a huge forehand, near-perfect serve and receive and remarkable consistency.

Jan-Ove Waldner (Sweden)

Nicknamed the "Mozart of table tennis", Waldner was world champion in 1989 and 1997 and Olympic champion at Barcelona 1992, the first European to win Olympic singles gold. He was famous for his creativity, his serves and his ability to beat Chinese players in an era of strong Asian dominance.

Zhang Jike (China)

World champion in 2011 and 2013 and Olympic champion at London 2012. He completed the Grand Slam quickly, with an aggressive game built around a powerful backhand.

Fan Zhendong (China)

World champion in 2021 and Olympic singles champion at Paris 2024, which completed his Grand Slam. He also has Olympic team golds.

Wang Liqin (China)

Three-time world singles champion (2001, 2005 and 2007), with one of the most powerful forehands of his generation.

The great champions

Deng Yaping (China)

Short and incredibly fast, Deng Yaping won four Olympic golds: singles and doubles at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996. She was world singles champion in 1991, 1995 and 1997.

Zhang Yining (China)

Two-time Olympic singles champion (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), with golds in doubles and team events too. World singles champion in 2005 and 2009.

Wang Nan (China)

World singles champion three times in a row (1999, 2001 and 2003) and Olympic singles champion at Sydney 2000, plus golds in doubles and the team event.

Ding Ning and Chen Meng (China)

Ding Ning was world champion in 2011, 2015 and 2017 and Olympic champion at Rio 2016. Chen Meng won Olympic singles gold at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, matching Deng Yaping and Zhang Yining.

Legends of the early decades

Romania's Angelica Rozeanu holds the record for world singles titles, six in a row. Hungary's Viktor Barna and Mária Mednyánszky dominated the sport's first era. Japan's Ichiro Ogimura led the strong Japanese generation of the 1950s, the sponge paddle era, and Zhuang Zedong was the first great name from China, which would go on to lead the sport. That story is in the history of table tennis.

Other names that defined an era

• Jean-Philippe Gatien (France): world champion in 1993.
• Werner Schlager (Austria): world champion in 2003, one of the last Europeans to win the Worlds.
• Ryu Seung-min (South Korea): Olympic champion at Athens 2004, beating Wang Hao in the final.
• Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito (Japan): Olympic mixed doubles champions at Tokyo 2020, the first non-Chinese Olympic table tennis gold medalists since 2004.

What about players from the Americas?

The biggest name from the Americas is Brazil's Hugo Calderano, 2025 World Cup champion and world championships silver medalist, widely regarded as the best player in the history of the continent.

Why are so many names on this list Chinese? The answer is in why China dominates table tennis.

Frequently asked questions