Ever since the national team finished preparing for the Olympics, Ma Lin has been training with the big ball at the national training center. His training partners are the younger players from the 2nd national team who have already mastered the big ball. Ma, in an interview with our reporters, said that he is now more used to the big ball, and feels more ready for the World Cup. "For me, the big ball presents advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the ball is slower, and I have more time to cover the court and use my forehand. The forehand is much more powerful than the backhand, of course. On the other hand, the spin is less. I depend on my serves to initiate the attack, and I rely on my first three shots. Now the serves are not as critical, and the difficulties in my first 3 shots increase. The rallies are becoming relatively more important, and rallying is a strong suit of the shakehand style."
Ma objectvely analysed his situation. "My feel for the big ball is still not very precise. My judgments for the big ball are still based on my experience with the small ball, so I feel that the big ball is not very "well-behaved". The trajectory of the ball and where it lands can often be unexpected." Although he is still not very comfortable with the big ball, Ma may be the best prepared among the World Cup contestants. He is very confident going into the tournament. "This is a major championship, and a world title is at stake, so it is very important for me. I will try my very best, since I do not have a world title yet."
For Ma, who failed to be chosen to play in Sydney, the World Cup is
perhaps the best consolation. "It was very painful for me to find out that
I was not going to Sydney, because I knew that I could. If I felt I did
not have the ability, it would not have been hard for me. I am not afraid
to play any opponent. I believe that I would have played well in the first
round, and in the second round, too." Ma still talks about the Olympics
with deep regret. "When I was watching the games on TV, I was very happy
for my teammates' victories. At the same time, I felt a sense of loss."
But Ma, who is well known for his strong perseverance, never gives up hope.
Although his penholder style relies a lot on physical conditioning, when
he was asked whether he would be able to play in Athens, Ma said, "No problem.
I will play till then.I will make my Olympic dream come true." The era
of the big ball has begun, and the World Cup is Ma's first step towards
the Athens Olympics. On October 10, he will go to Yangzhou with teammates
Wang Liqin and Kong Linghui, ready to demonstrate his ability and courage.
Kalmar won 3-1, and Waldner scored 2 match wins.
Last season, the Waldner-led Kalmar team only placed 2nd in its group,
and failed to play in the finals.
Since this is the first tournament after the rule change, it is special. Today (October 9) the drawing will take place. The 16 contestants come from 12 countries. The top 14 world ranked players, except Liu Guoliang and Liu Guozheng, will all participate. The rules stipulate that no more than 3 players can come from any one country. China will be represented by Kong, Wang and Ma. The total prize money is US$135,000.
Since most of the players competed in the Olympics and did not have extended training with the big ball, this will be a new challenge to them. China has not won in the last 3 World Cups (Primorac won in '97, Rosskopf in '98 and Samsonov in '99), it hopes to win this year, to have the first world title in the new big-ball era.
Chinese players have won the World Cup 10 times. China has also hosted
the event 9 times in the past.