World Championship 2003: trends for a new style of the future

Which trends will bring the World Championship? Which is the style of the future? Smashing and looping near the table or looping in the distance or Counter & Smashing near the table or even a new time for the defenders?

[Joachim Voigt]

I think defenders will come back. But not this tournament. They need more time.

[aleol]

Most sports become more and more athletic, also table-tennis. This and the faster materials will make table-tennis faster and faster and so the fast point, best with the first hit, will be the important to play succesfull in the future.
I hope, that defending will play a good roll in the future but I think, succesfull tournaments from defenders like the european championships from Chetienne will be rarer.

[noppennorbert]

I agree with aleol.
The most important trend in tabletennis for the last few years is the shortening of the arm stroke concerning near-the-table-topspinplay.
I think this will be the most effektive system for the next years.
The best example for it is obviously Timo Boll.
I´d like to see more defenders on top of the world ranking, but obviously it becomes more and more difficult to be sucessful like this.
I believe there can be possiblities for players with a very powerful topspin with their forehand, using long or short pimples for reasons of control and in situations where attack players use block or counter or countertop with their backhand such as for example Ding Song does.
Unfortunately I think, that men using the slice on both sides like Chetinine or Tsiokas will be less and less successful.
At womens tabletennis such a system can be successful for years from now on because of its lack of strokehardness comparing mens tt.

Tom

[Truffel]

Yeah, this was a real incredible wttc because in the semi-finals was only one Chinese player (Kong L.). In the end Schlager did it. In 1997 was the last wttc in which the Europeans dominated. (1. Waldner, 2.Samsonov)

[Josip]

since the WC 2003: what did change? have there been new trends or a new tabletennis style?