Yiao, head of CTTA management and ITTF technical research committee, expressed his views on the 40 mm ball. He said that in the 2 days of World Cup competition, the players have not been able to play at their usual levels. It is hard to expect the players to be in good form playing the big ball just a few weeks after the Olympics. So one cannot judge the players' abilities with the big ball based on the results of this tournament.
The players made a lot of mistakes in the competiton, and the reason is the lack of adjustment. After the tournament, players will have to train at an even higher level. Yiao said that the reduction in ball speed is not noticeable in close-table play, but very obvious in lobs (and high-bounce balls) where the ball seems to "stop" and more difficult to contact well. Once the players are used to the characteristics of the big ball, they can add spin to compensate for the slower speed, but definitely this (the big ball) will place higher requirements on physical shape and technical skills.
Yiao siad that the Chinese and the Europeans have been playing fairly evenly in recent tournaments, and the big ball is not going to change that. In the short term, certain playing styles may have advantages, but in the end, it is still the fundamentals and the techniques that win matches.
The World Cup players are very aware of the effects of the size change. First the ball is slower, and returning serves is easier. Second, it is easy to return really short. Third, in counter-looping the players have to expend much more energy. Fourth, loops are more difficult and not as powerful or devastating. Yiao also noticed that 70% of the errors were balls hitting in the net.
Yiao also said that in order to develop the speedy style players, the CTTA will selectively use the smaller ball in certain junior competitons. It is much easier to go from being able to play with speed to playing a slower pace, but the other way is difficult.
Wang Dayong, coach of the Belgian national team and the Saive brothers, said in an interview: "We should let the Europeans win more".
Wang was the Beijing tean coach back in 1975, and developed famous players such as Teng Yi. He went to Belgium in 1987, and coached the Saives. Wang said, "I like to see the Chinese winning, but if they win everything, who will still play?"
Wang said that the bigger ball is not sufficient to "slow down" the Chinese. They should also consider raising the net or increasing the table size to help the Europeans. Wang said, "Other that Waldner, Gatien, Primorac, and a few others, there are very few players with potential in Europe. There is an unbalance between the Chinese and the Europeans, and companies have less interest in supporting the sport. We may end up with only the Chinese playing".
Wang said that there is a price for changing. Now the big ball competition is not exciting to watch, because the players have not adjusted yet. It will be much better in another 6 months.
Chung's Note: Penholders have done very poorly in World Cups since the late '80s. The great Guo Yuehua won 2 WC titles in 1980 and 1982. Jiang won it in 1984, and Chen Longcan won in 1986. The next penholder to win is Liu Guoliang in 1996. So the 2000 WC is only the 2nd one in 14 years to be won by a penholder.