East gets West: the surprising friendship between Chinese and German table tennis stars
German table tennis great Timo Boll sees Fan Zhendong as a sensitive and open-minded individual with a constant desire to explore, learn and improve, both as a player and as a person.The now-retired former World Cup winner also said that his friendship with China’s Olympic champion, who is 16 years his junior, had evolved into something far beyond the sporting realm ever since they first competed against each other in Suzhou in 2015.Boll was unable to beat his close friend in 11 attempts, but said they always had “great, exciting matches” that were always “fair and respectful”.The pair had got to know each other “off the table”, Boll said, and realised they had the same hobbies, such as football.“We went to dinner together and realised that we have similar mindsets and like each other,” Boll added. “It’s a nice friendship, and I’m happy to be able to help him now that he is in Europe, exploring together.”Despite the age gap, Boll and Fan also bonded over more than just the sport they both played and excelled in.
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