Last Updated on May 9, 2024 by Alex Horscroft
The best table tennis player of all time is Ma Long. Being a double grand slam winner and holding numerous records, no other player comes close to what he achieved throughout his career.
That being said, many other remarkable table tennis players stand out from the rest. For this post, I spent hours and hours looking at medal counts and match records, and I was able to squeeze the best ping pong players of all time down to just 21 players. Here they are!
- Ma Long
- Deng Yaping
- Wang Nan
- Zhang Yining
- Ding Ning
- Ma Lin
- Zhang Jike
- Wang Hao
- Fan Zhendong
- Xu Xin
- Wang Liqin
- Jan-Ove Waldner
- Li Xiaoxia
- Kong Linghui
- Ichiro Ogimura
- Liu Guoliang
- Guo Yue
- Timo Boll
- Vladimir Samsonov
- Viktor Barna
- Wang Chuqin
*As you can see, we have both male and female players. Each is ranked relative to their gender.
1. Ma Long (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- 30 gold medals in majors
- Sole two-time grand slam winner
- Held rank 1 for 64 months
There’s a lot of debate as to who the best table tennis player of all time is, and based on some of the answers I see, a lot of people are biased toward their favorite player. Jan-Ove Waldner, I’m looking at you!
Yet there’s one player who stands well above the rest when it comes to achievements, and that’s the pride and joy of China, The Dragon: Ma Long! He has more gold medals at the majors than anybody else, and he’s also the only male player ever to achieve a double grand slam (2x singles wins at the Olympics, World Championships, & World Cup).
If that wasn’t enough, he has held rank 1 for 64 months, 34 of which were consecutive. Only Deng Yaping and Zhang Yining have held it longer, but their wins at the majors pale in comparison to Ma’s.
2. Deng Yaping (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- Held rank 1 for 8 years
- Retired at 24
- Career grand slam
- 18 gold medals in majors
It’s super tight picking a runner-up for the best ping pong player of all time, but I think Deng Yaping just edges it. She held rank 1 for longer than any other table tennis player at 8 years, that’s 14 months more than the next closest (Zhang Yining).
She’s also a grand slam winner which is a very distinguished title. Only 10 players have ever achieved the feat. What’s incredible is that Deng managed all this by the early age of 24 when she decided to retire. Arguably, she hadn’t even hit her prime. Had she continued to compete and retire at a regular age, I expect she could have given Ma Long a run for his money for the top spot.
3. Wang Nan (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- Held rank 1 for 35 months
- Career grand slam
- 24 gold medals in majors
- 93% match win rate at World Cup & World Championships
With a 35-month-long reign at world number 1, Wang Nan is one of the most skilled table tennis players of all time. Her most notable achievement is a prestigious grand slam, and she was very close to a second, which would have made her one of only three players ever.
She secured three golds in the singles at the World Championships, and four at the World Cup, However, she just missed out on her second gold at the Olympics, placing second in the Beijing 2008 Games.
4. Zhang Yining (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- First player ever to achieve a double grand slam
- Held rank 1 for 6 years (excluding two months)
- 18 gold medals in majors
I feel Zhang Yining’s career is around level with Wang Nan. While she earned four fewer golds at the majors, she is the first player ever to achieve a double grand slam. Zhang also held the top rank globally for two months shy of six years which is mind-boggling.
These feats set her well clear of Ma Lin. He only manages to tie on two accounts: winning golds in the singles, doubles & team events at the Olympics; and securing four World Cup wins.
5. Ding Ning (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- Grand slam winner
- 21 golds at majors
- 53 months at World number 1 across career
Ding Ning is another member of the grand slam club, and just like Wang Nan, she was one Olympics medal short of doing the double. Ding came just as close too, losing in the final of the 2012 London Olympics to Li Xiaoxia — another grand slam winner.
She holds 21 golds at major events which is the third highest among all players. Almost as impressive is her 53 months at world number 1 across her career, which sits her fourth highest, just ahead of Wang Liqin by 1 month.
6. Ma Lin (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- Only male player to win gold at the Olympics in singles, doubles & team events
- Most men’s singles World Cup wins at 4
- 18 golds at majors
- Rank 1 for 17 months
Ma Lin was never able to win a grand slam, that being said, he did come mighty close. All he required was a gold in the singles of the World Championships, and on three occasions, only one match stood in his way. Yet he fell short, claiming three silvers rather than any golds.
However, he managed to set records which stand to this day. One of which is his four singles World Cup wins which is the most ever for a male player. Ma also managed to fight off the competition for a total of 17 months to retain his number 1 spot.
7. Zhang Jike (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- Grand Slam
- 16 golds at majors
- Rank 1 for 7 months
It pains me to see Zhang Jike so low down on this list because he was plagued by injuries throughout his career. These prevented him from achieving his full potential. In his prime, Zhang seemed unstoppable, but this prime was short-lived.
He achieved a grand slam in just 445 days and almost went on to win another. A final Olympic gold was all that alluded him. Yet he could only manage a silver, losing 4-0 to Ma Long in the final of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
There’s no doubt in my mind had Zhang Jike remained healthy, he would be higher up on this list. Considering the brief length of his domination, 16 golds at the majors is pretty incredible.
8. Wang Hao (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- 18 gold medals in majors
- 24 months at world number 1
- Head coach of the Chinese National Men’s Team
To many, Wang Hao is the greatest player ever to never win a grand slam. He secured singles gold medals at the World Championship and World Cup, but he just couldn’t get gold at the Olympics. He placed second on three consecutive occasions from 2004 to 2012.
Of his 18 golds at the majors, three lie in the singles at the World Cup which is tied with Ma Long. Since retiring, he has gone on to become the Head Coach of the Chinese National Men’s Team.
9. Fan Zhendong (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- Youngest ITTF World Tour Winner & World Table Tennis Champion
- 19 gold medals in majors
- 26 months at rank 1
Fan Zhendong burst onto the table tennis scene, setting many records for his feats at such an early age. Among them, were his ITTF World Tour and World Table Tennis Championship wins. Currently, he holds 19 gold medals at the majors, but as he is in his prime, I suspect he will claim many more.
Seeking his first grand slam, all that Fan requires is a gold medal at the Olympics, and seeing as he was just selected for the Olympic team, he will get another chance soon. In the 2020 Olympics, he placed second, losing to Ma Long 4-2 in the final.
10. Xu Xin (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- 23 months at rank 1
- 19 gold medals in majors
- 17 World Tour singles titles
Now retired from international play, Xu Xin has always been among the top echelon of players during his prime. Spending a total of 23 months at rank 1, he secured 19 gold medals at the majors throughout his career.
That being said, he lacks wins in singles events at these tournaments. Of his 17 titles, just one is a singles win. Yet the same cannot be said outside of the majors. He secured 17 World Tour singles titles which is very impressive.
11. Wang Liqin (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- 52 months at rank 1
- 16 gold medals in majors
- 3 singles World Championship wins
Wang Liqin’s most impressive achievement is his time as world number 1. Throughout his career, he tallied 52 months on top which is fifth highest among all players.
Wang also saw incredible success on the Pro Tour both in the singles and doubles, winning a total of 44 events. As for the majors, he amassed a respectable 16 gold medals, 3 of which were singles World Championship titles.
12. Jan-Ove Waldner (Swedish)
Top Achievements
- Career grand slam
- 9 golds at majors
- 17 months at rank 1
Many people may be disappointed to see fan-favorite Waldner rank so low, but the reality is that while he was very successful, his name is much bigger than his achievements. Most of his titles reside in region-restricted events, namely the European Championships and Swedish Championships.
He collected an impressive 11 European Championship titles and 14 Swedish Championship titles. Yet that’s not to say Waldner didn’t perform well at the top events. He demonstrated this by winning a grand slam; the only non-Chinese player to do so.
13. Li Xiaoxia (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- Career grand slam
- 19 golds at majors
- 9-time singles Pro Tour winner
Li Xiaoxia is the fourth female player ever to win a grand slam, and while she was ranked world number 1 for just 8 months, she secured 19 golds at the majors throughout her career.
In addition, Li won the Pro Tour 9 times in the singles event and 18 times in the doubles.
14. Kong Linghui (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- 20 months at rank 1
- Career grand slam
- 11 golds at majors
Kong Linghui has 11 golds at the majors and is a part of the exclusive grand slam club. As for the Asian Games, he holds 5 golds.
Throughout his career, he held the top spot for a total of 20 months.
15. Ichiro Ogimura (Japanese)
Top Achievements
- 12 World Champion gold medals
- Former world number 1
- Former ITTF President
A key figure in the era of “Ping Pong Diplomacy,” it’s no wonder why Ichiro went on to become the ITTF President. He also dominated during his career, rising to rank 1 and winning 12 World Championship golds. Ichiro was similarly successful at Asian events, winning 8 golds combined in the Asian Games and Asian Championships.
16. Liu Guoliang (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- First male Chinese player to achieve a grand slam
- 10 golds at majors
- World Table Tennis Board Member
Liu Guoliang is not only one of 10 players to win a grand slam, but he is also the first male Chinese player to secure one. He has 10 gold medals to his name and has been heavily involved in the table tennis scene since his retirement in 2001.
Liu was appointed Head Coach of China’s National Men’s Team and has been the most successful coach of all time. One of his most notable feats as coach is ensuring China secured every men’s singles team championship at the Table Tennis World Championships from 2001 to 2018. He has since gone on to become a World Table Tennis Board Member.
17. Guo Yue (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- 12 gold medals in majors
- 2 gold medals in the team event at the Olympics
Guo Yue won 12 gold medals in major events, but based on speculation online, I suspect this could have been higher. During 2010, which I should note was around her peak, she got into trouble for showing a lack of dedication to the sport.
She would go on to win many events after this, yet she was ultimately switched to the provincial team a few years later.
18. Timo Boll (German)
Top Achievements
- 11 months at rank 1
- 23 golds at the European Championships & European Games
- 2 golds at majors
I wasn’t sure if I was going to put Timo Boll on this list as he has just two gold medals in the majors, however, his immense success in European events convinced me.
Timo has won a staggering 20 golds at the European Championships, 8 of which he won in the singles. To further add merit to his career, he won the Europe Top 16 7 times, the European Super Cup 3 times, and secured an additional 20 wins at the ITTF World Tour/Pro Tour.
19. Vladimir Samsonov (Belarus)
Top Achievements
- 18 months at rank 1
- 3 gold medals in majors
- 13 ECL titles which is more than any other player
- 27 ITTF Pro Tour/World Tour titles
Vladimir Samsonov is one of two competitors to Timo Boll when it comes to the best all-time players in Europe. He too has had a very long career at the top of the sport. After entering the top 10 in 1996, he stayed there for over 15 years and even claimed the top spot for 18 months.
Nicknamed Mr. ECL, Samsonov holds the record for the most European Championships League titles with 13. He also falls only to Ma Long when it comes to ITTF Pro Tour/World Tour wins, claiming 27, which is one less than Ma Long.
20. Viktor Barna (Hungarian/British)
Top Achievements
- Five-time singles World Champion
- 22 gold medals at the World Championships
Viktor Barna was a very successful player during his career from the 1920s to the 1950s. He secured an impressive 5 golds in the singles events at the World Championships and 23 medals across all events in the competition.
He switched citizenship from Hungary to England in 1952 as a result of the Second World War.
21. Wang Chuqin (Chinese)
Top Achievements
- 10 gold medals in majors
- 2 gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games
- Current world number 1 (11 months total as of May 2024)
Wang Chuqin represents the future of table tennis. Currently ranked number 1 in the world, he’s somehow managed to stack up 10 golds at the majors by the age of 23. While impressive, he has not had the time to build a strong enough resume to push him up this list.
That being said, he stands almost 2,000 points clear of Fan Zhendong on the rankings, demonstrating just how dominant he is right now. He’s also just been selected for the Men’s Chinese Olympic Team, so I’m sure he’s eyeing up the gold!
Closing Thoughts
While Ma Long is the best table tennis player of all time, there are many other exceptional competitors you should know about as well. Deng Yaping, in particular, is a very interesting one. She held rank 1 for 8 years and won a grand slam by the age of 24 when she retired. Just imagine what she could have achieved if she played to 35!
*Cover image provided by XIAOYU TANG under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license | unedited
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I've been playing table tennis since the age of 14 and have competed against some of the top players in England. While I love playing, I also really enjoy coaching too!
Blade: Butterfly Timo Boll ALC | Rubbers: Nittaku Fastarc G-1