Zitat:
Zitat von TSC
Nice to see you back, Adham. I already thought that you may have had enough of us.
Anyway, I have a question:
It appears to me that the number of international tournaments grew steadily in the past years (?) with the result that the top players here in europe have contracts with their clubs that allow them to focus on the international duties (most recent case with Dimitrij Ovtcharov announcing his move to belgian top flight Villette Charleroi).
I understand that the international tournaments offer potentially more interesting games as all the top players gather together but on the other side I see that the clubs are losing those players that attract a lot of the local audience, too.
It would be great to hear your personal opinion/thoughts and the one of the ITTF about this development, the reasons and possible future plans.
Thank you.
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Thanks. Yes, there are more international tournaments but especially at the Junior elevel. We started with 5 Open Junior events in 2003 and now we have more than 20. However, at the senior level, it has been more or less the same over the last 10 years, we have about 16 Pro Tour events per year, plus the World Cup, the World Championships and some other special events. So perhaps about 20 or so events for the top players. Of course it's a question of balance. The players do not have to play in every ITTF event, it's up to them and their national association to choose the events in whcih they wish to participate. However, because of the Ranking, and because of the possibility to compete against the best, many players prefer to focus on the international scene. This is especially true for the younger players. You can see the results of Ovtcharov at the Danish Open, this in my opinion cannot be achieved by playing only at the club level. Now, why did he go to Belgium? I do not know for sure. But you may have a good point; because of less matches and perhaps a better contract financially. This is a question of open market. To answer your question, my opinion is that it depends on the player's goal. If the player wants to be the best in the World then he/she must play internationally as much as possible. If they just wish to have a good level and a steady income, then they can focus more on the club play. Werner Schlager said that he won the World Championships in 2003 because he was the player who played the most in the pro Tour and that was his focus. I also think if a player who is top ranked internationally plays a match in the club, then of course it attracts more spectators. So, at the end, I believe it's a question of priorities and a question of balance.