Waldner at his peak would definitely beat Ma Long in this video. Just look at how he block Ma Long's topspin, he knows where the balls are going but he doesn't really have physical strength like in the past.
However, I think Waldner at his peak wouldn't be able to beat Ma Long now (2012).
I disagree with the assertion that Waldners style wouldn't work in todays game. There have been mechanical players that rip everly ball since late 80's and Waldner has always found a way to dismantle their game and sometimes made them look plain silly. raw power and a machine like playing style wont dominate ingenuity and creativity. This match between an older Waldenr and Ma demonstrates that Ma-Long just can't rip balls at will like we see him do against other players. Imagine if Waldi was 25
@olaniyi570 this was 2009. Ma long has improved immensely since then. Also, in 2009, there was none of the backhand-over-the-table-loop on the forehand side of the table.
Did China changed? i don't think so, they have always been training a lot in this sport, the only thing that changed is that Waldner is no longer young, if he would, he would be learning how to defeat the new moves to destroy todays Chinese Dominion once again, thats for sure.
@TheWhiskasBoy not taking anything away from what waldner has achieved, but alot has changed in table tennis over the past years, better training methods, new techniques/ technology and new rules (i.e no speedglues) to conclude that younger waldner would just dominate nowadays may not be so true, although u may say he would just adapt to the modern standards may not work out as the game is alot less forgiving with china seeming to dominate in this new era of tt above europe and asia than everb4
@TheWhiskasBoy not taking anything away from what waldner has achieved, but alot has changed in table tennis over the past years, better training methods, new techniques/ technology,new rules (i.e no speedglues) to conclude that younger waldner would just dominate nowadays may not be so true, although u may say he would just adapt to the modern standards may not work out as the game is alot less forgiving with china seeming to dominate in this new era of tt above europe n rest/ asia than evab4
I wish people would stop comparing Waldner to today's players. It's a different era and a different game. Would you compare Larry Bird or Kareem to Shaq and Lebron? It's different now. He was a great legend and he paved the road to what Table Tennis has become today, but he in no way can be compared to players in today's era. The game has changed too much and the styles have evolved far more now than in his day.
in terms of who has a better backhand Persson or J.O. I think Persson backhand is a little more consistant because he spins it more, but J.O has a larger variety of shot from the backhand side. Also in the 87 worlds J.O used his backhad to destroy the chinese oposition (except Jian Jiliang)
@sammunster7 You can't say whose backhand is better, 'cause J.O. obviously has a better feel for the ball than Kreanga even if Kreangas backhand might be the harder one...
Waldner, sigue teniendo esa maestria e improvisación que le llevó a lo mas alto del tenis de mesa, y aun es capaz de demostrarlo ante este tipo de jugadores de la actualizad. sin duda un genio , si quieres aprender a jugar, observa a Jan Ove Waldner.
J O is the best, he has nothing to prove, he beat the best many many times, its a testament to his skill that he can even take a game off a current top5 world class player. Kick ASS!!
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
waldner is gonna get scrapped lol. the game was very different. waldner used to use pips in 97? i think iam not sure. the game got much more athletic with bigger balls
Waldner is too old now... but that doesn't means that he cannot show his magic touch on table tennis.
On his peak, he beated the so called "chinese wall", where the top 5 wolrd ranking where chinese, being number 1 for quite some time, beating like 4 generations of chinese players during the years until his retirement.
@MorionIncubus Unfortunately to compare them to the chinese players of today is like comparing wooden rackets to carbon fiber. It's a different game and a different era. Waldner at his prime could not compete with the players that China produces today. There's just too large a difference in the training regimen.
@LookB3hindU Could be true, a different era, and yes, the game evolved a lot from Waldner days till now. But you can't deny that he was the best on his time. Perhps todays chiinese players have a more robust game, than 10 years ago, but if waldner was younger, his game will be evolving as well don't you think so? A legend of tha past will stay like that, like a great player to be remembered, thats it.
@MorionIncubus You're right about that. I don't deny that he was the best of his time, it's just those that say he's the best of all time. I don't deny he's great, but of saying he's the best of all time is too arrogant a claim. There's a reason why China is dominating the sport at the moment.
I'm sure there are European players that could develop like Waldner had, but it's a matter of whether they're willing to put the time in like the Chinese.
@LookB3hindU Yeah I completely agree. It just a fact that as time passes, a sport will progress. new technology, better training methods etc. Waldner was great in his prime, but his playstyle just won't work in todays game. He did a lot of unique stuff, but thats simply not possible today, because the spin level of today's game gives you so little room for error, that the amazing things Waldner did would be really hard to do now.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
before someone says something retarded like waldner still is so good, notice ma long is nervous. he probably knew of waldner as a legend when he was a kid training. there were shots ma long normally never misses that you see his arc shake.
Ofc Ma long beat Waldner 10 out of 10 any day, but still its great to see that Waldner still have some of his touch from the old days, even against such a tremendeous strong player as Ma Long. Ranked 3th in the world ffs. :)
Your a dumbass. The game back then when Waldner was on his peak is alot harder than the game Ma Long is playing now. Waldner played when hidden serves are legal and the ball was 38mm. The game back then is way faster than the game now.
He beat some of the top 10 players of today half his age. Show me a Chinese player that can do that.
Dude, read what I said, I meant Waldner is always the best TT player in the world. And I never thought any Chinese players can be even close to him. Learn how to read, "Your a dumbass". lol
My bad, my reply is not for you. I click the wrong person. Your absolutely right waldner have beaten alot of top ten players in the world with half his age. He is a Legend and still kicking ass.
Waldner still going strong, he does not attack as deadly as before but his defence is equally effective in getting points! so as Persson, they are always good to watch.
Waldner at his peak would definitely beat Ma Long in this video. Just look at how he block Ma Long's topspin, he knows where the balls are going but he doesn't really have physical strength like in the past.
However, I think Waldner at his peak wouldn't be able to beat Ma Long now (2012).
TheTTstudio 3 weeks ago
Waldner is the most Jan Overrated Waldner player
piyu1154 2 months ago
if waldner was in his prime he wouldve kicked ma long's ass
TheAber97 6 months ago
man i get the feeling that waldner is going easy on Ma long
ph169337 6 months ago
everybody sucks ma long penis
lost1205 7 months ago
@lost1205 in three months you got no likes.
zedzulzorander 3 months ago
I disagree with the assertion that Waldners style wouldn't work in todays game. There have been mechanical players that rip everly ball since late 80's and Waldner has always found a way to dismantle their game and sometimes made them look plain silly. raw power and a machine like playing style wont dominate ingenuity and creativity. This match between an older Waldenr and Ma demonstrates that Ma-Long just can't rip balls at will like we see him do against other players. Imagine if Waldi was 25
olaniyi570 8 months ago
@olaniyi570 this was 2009. Ma long has improved immensely since then. Also, in 2009, there was none of the backhand-over-the-table-loop on the forehand side of the table.
IIkingdomII 2 weeks ago
rocky 5 feeling here LOL? waldi at his peak is the greatest level of table tennis to exist, what a legend.
mazza23 10 months ago
Did China changed? i don't think so, they have always been training a lot in this sport, the only thing that changed is that Waldner is no longer young, if he would, he would be learning how to defeat the new moves to destroy todays Chinese Dominion once again, thats for sure.
TheWhiskasBoy 11 months ago 2
@TheWhiskasBoy not taking anything away from what waldner has achieved, but alot has changed in table tennis over the past years, better training methods, new techniques/ technology and new rules (i.e no speedglues) to conclude that younger waldner would just dominate nowadays may not be so true, although u may say he would just adapt to the modern standards may not work out as the game is alot less forgiving with china seeming to dominate in this new era of tt above europe and asia than everb4
jubbabuddy 10 months ago
@TheWhiskasBoy not taking anything away from what waldner has achieved, but alot has changed in table tennis over the past years, better training methods, new techniques/ technology,new rules (i.e no speedglues) to conclude that younger waldner would just dominate nowadays may not be so true, although u may say he would just adapt to the modern standards may not work out as the game is alot less forgiving with china seeming to dominate in this new era of tt above europe n rest/ asia than evab4
jubbabuddy 10 months ago
I wish people would stop comparing Waldner to today's players. It's a different era and a different game. Would you compare Larry Bird or Kareem to Shaq and Lebron? It's different now. He was a great legend and he paved the road to what Table Tennis has become today, but he in no way can be compared to players in today's era. The game has changed too much and the styles have evolved far more now than in his day.
LookB3hindU 1 year ago
in terms of who has a better backhand Persson or J.O. I think Persson backhand is a little more consistant because he spins it more, but J.O has a larger variety of shot from the backhand side. Also in the 87 worlds J.O used his backhad to destroy the chinese oposition (except Jian Jiliang)
olaniyi570 1 year ago
mycket bra film mycket bättre en så här vid detta tillfälle kan man inte få bra video 5 starrs thumps up here
8jonte 1 year ago
ma long is just to much!!.....
CrackingBall1 1 year ago
Waldner still reining swedish champ :-) will be interesting when hes defending hes title in a couple of months.
backsmoker 1 year ago
halt die kamera still du affe
Shynox1994 1 year ago
great piont against current world no1 by the former world no1 at 2: 27....
sagarghatge007 1 year ago
i want that freaking backhand of his! it's amazing! Who has the better backhand kreanga or JO?
sammunster7 1 year ago
@sammunster7 perssons backhand is better than the backhand of JO!
but i dont think its better then kreangas
nike1717 1 year ago
@sammunster7 You can't say whose backhand is better, 'cause J.O. obviously has a better feel for the ball than Kreanga even if Kreangas backhand might be the harder one...
gravedigger02 1 year ago
Ma Long has a very weird standing position when recieving a serve, almost around the table.
pbsmick 1 year ago
0:51 Waldner searching for the ball :) lol ma long best one
antreaschristoforou 1 year ago
Waldner, sigue teniendo esa maestria e improvisación que le llevó a lo mas alto del tenis de mesa, y aun es capaz de demostrarlo ante este tipo de jugadores de la actualizad. sin duda un genio , si quieres aprender a jugar, observa a Jan Ove Waldner.
vhernandez1c 2 years ago
Wow, Waldner is still so amazing. Look at the big points at 2:220f and 4:02f for example.
I knew he could play balls like that 15 years ago but he can even today. And he does not train that much today. Pure skill and genius.
Waldner = Mozart of table tennis
When you play table tennis you have to love this man.
enkidu23 2 years ago 3
hoops soory, typo failure:
I was referring to the points at 2:20 f and 4:02 f.
enkidu23 2 years ago
J O is the best, he has nothing to prove, he beat the best many many times, its a testament to his skill that he can even take a game off a current top5 world class player. Kick ASS!!
leezygeezer 2 years ago 2
What??? Waldner is still playing?? :p
Thepingpongplaya 2 years ago
Oh yeah, he still plays in the German Bundesliga. He's really not doing well though, lost his last 6 matches.
Opalance 2 years ago
Waldner always has been and is still amazing but during the time he won worlds in 1997, Ma Long was 11 years old...
Something really worth watching is Ma Long (2009) vs Waldner (1997), that would be more fair and awesome;
Good vid though
jasonxchan 2 years ago 2
How about 1987? Ma Long was 1, lol.
accord03 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
waldner is gonna get scrapped lol. the game was very different. waldner used to use pips in 97? i think iam not sure. the game got much more athletic with bigger balls
demystifiedwu1 2 years ago
waldner didnt use pips:S
michaelmcguire93 2 years ago 2
@jasonxchan i dont think any tabletennis of any time could stod up against waldner of 1997.he copletely crushed every one that tournament.
backsmoker 1 year ago
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wow.... how did Walder get this fat?? he's a faggot now.
markchanggz 2 years ago
The audience have come here to see Waldner play, but end up seeing Ma long win as expected. After all, there is nothing new.
tyoungos 2 years ago
Waldner all the way From sweden !!!
50CentMusic123 2 years ago
0:39--> that background noise tells me that she was enjoying the match tremendously.
otterboxiphone 2 years ago
Waldner's kinda fat-still a legend though
casualcuber 2 years ago
Waldner just The Best!!!
moicas669 2 years ago 2
I wish I could see Waldner play live one day. He needs to come to Canada!!!
QuantumStates 2 years ago
If its 10years ago then see wach the mach
bulgiriri 2 years ago
Waldner is too old now... but that doesn't means that he cannot show his magic touch on table tennis.
On his peak, he beated the so called "chinese wall", where the top 5 wolrd ranking where chinese, being number 1 for quite some time, beating like 4 generations of chinese players during the years until his retirement.
Long live the king, long live J.O.
MorionIncubus 2 years ago 41
@MorionIncubus Unfortunately to compare them to the chinese players of today is like comparing wooden rackets to carbon fiber. It's a different game and a different era. Waldner at his prime could not compete with the players that China produces today. There's just too large a difference in the training regimen.
LookB3hindU 1 year ago
@LookB3hindU Could be true, a different era, and yes, the game evolved a lot from Waldner days till now. But you can't deny that he was the best on his time. Perhps todays chiinese players have a more robust game, than 10 years ago, but if waldner was younger, his game will be evolving as well don't you think so? A legend of tha past will stay like that, like a great player to be remembered, thats it.
MorionIncubus 1 year ago
@MorionIncubus You're right about that. I don't deny that he was the best of his time, it's just those that say he's the best of all time. I don't deny he's great, but of saying he's the best of all time is too arrogant a claim. There's a reason why China is dominating the sport at the moment.
I'm sure there are European players that could develop like Waldner had, but it's a matter of whether they're willing to put the time in like the Chinese.
LookB3hindU 1 year ago
@LookB3hindU Yeah I completely agree. It just a fact that as time passes, a sport will progress. new technology, better training methods etc. Waldner was great in his prime, but his playstyle just won't work in todays game. He did a lot of unique stuff, but thats simply not possible today, because the spin level of today's game gives you so little room for error, that the amazing things Waldner did would be really hard to do now.
scylla24 1 year ago
Waldner is just so great
solidysnake1 2 years ago
Waldner is simply crazy.
After all these years, he can still "play" with one of the best Chinese player.
Besides, he seem to practice very little.
He play tennis and gulf sometimes.
Taiwan168888 2 years ago 3
My PC is a Sh!t
Not Open this video =O!!!!!!!
klxiww 2 years ago
If Waldner's legs were younger he would own Ma Long... LONG LIVE J.O.....Walllldnerrr!!!!!!!
BLUeCLimbers 2 years ago
They're both good; different eras and worth watching.
joubtt 3 years ago 5
hmm.. waldner's play is still better :)
17teacmrocks 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
before someone says something retarded like waldner still is so good, notice ma long is nervous. he probably knew of waldner as a legend when he was a kid training. there were shots ma long normally never misses that you see his arc shake.
17teacmrocks 3 years ago
Ofc Ma long beat Waldner 10 out of 10 any day, but still its great to see that Waldner still have some of his touch from the old days, even against such a tremendeous strong player as Ma Long. Ranked 3th in the world ffs. :)
eldritchwulfe 2 years ago
Ya right, when Waldner was ranked no1. in the world, Ma Long was sucking milk from his mom...lol
accord03 2 years ago
Your a dumbass. The game back then when Waldner was on his peak is alot harder than the game Ma Long is playing now. Waldner played when hidden serves are legal and the ball was 38mm. The game back then is way faster than the game now.
He beat some of the top 10 players of today half his age. Show me a Chinese player that can do that.
quickzilver333 2 years ago 2
Dude, read what I said, I meant Waldner is always the best TT player in the world. And I never thought any Chinese players can be even close to him. Learn how to read, "Your a dumbass". lol
accord03 2 years ago
My bad, my reply is not for you. I click the wrong person. Your absolutely right waldner have beaten alot of top ten players in the world with half his age. He is a Legend and still kicking ass.
quickzilver333 2 years ago
That's cool bro.
accord03 2 years ago
@quickzilver333 : exactly! Waldner has nothing to prove. He did everything that people tried to do and he was consistent.
Care4URchameleon 2 years ago
Waldner still going strong, he does not attack as deadly as before but his defence is equally effective in getting points! so as Persson, they are always good to watch.
utahjai 3 years ago
Skulle säkert vara fem stjärnor om det inte vore för den dåliga kvalitén som alla Maxengarze filmer har.....
ichach1337 3 years ago
Håller med om den dåliga kvaliteten. Problemet är att det är jag själv som filmar från läktaren med en enkel digitalkamera, inte ens en en filmkamera.
Men jag inbillar mig att en del gillar att se sådan matcher som denna överhuvudtaget vilket kanske inte är möjligt annars.
Tack för dina synpunkter ichach1337.
Maxengarze 2 years ago
Nobody plays like Waldner. He is unique!!
Reno070 3 years ago 27
He is eunuch.
otterboxiphone 3 years ago
loll.....
sweat126 3 years ago
Yah 5+ stars :P
az159143 3 years ago 4