European Championships: Boll injured - but still stronger than Portugal?
 

Timo Boll can not play the ETTC.

He is injured or ill many times? I think there was maybe only Michael Maze, who have comparable quite often health problems. I can not remember, that players like Samsonov, Waldner, Persson or Saive had such problems.

But at the ETTC germany should be strong enough to win Gold. Ovtcharov, Baum, Franziska and Filus should be able to win versus Portugal with Freitas, Apolonia, Monteiro and Geraldo. It depends how strong Ovtcharov and Freitas will be.

Is there any other country who have small chances to win gold? I think not. There is a big gap to France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, Belarus, Greece, Croatia, and what else.

In the singles the best 8 players could be:

Ovtcharov
Freitas
Samsonov
Baum
Apolonia
Gacina
Karlsson
Shibaev or Gauzy

Or did I forgot a player? Habesohn, Fegerl, Franziska, Filus, Kou Lei, Gionis, Drinkhall, there so many players which could also go to the quarter finals.

The good old times have gone, with players like Waldner, Karlsson, Persson, Schlager, Saive, Korbel, Kreanga, Primorac, only Boll and Samsonov are still on top. The next two generations are much weaker.