Shen Qiang & Wilson Zhang Double up
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Shen Qiang
Relaxed Player
2007 US Open Table Tennis Tournament
July 4-7, 2007 - Las Vegas, NV
Hilton Las Vegas Convention Center
Shen Qiang backhand
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Shen Qiang forehand |
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Shen Qiang vs. Yong Ji Im
Copyright © 2007 - Robert Trudell
Professional Ping Pong equipment available at the Table Tennis Pioneers.
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Shen Qiang vs. DJ Alto
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http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=26218.38&nav=messages&webtag=ab-tabletennis#a38
One thing that nobody has mentioned here is the, IMO, very bad sportsmanship displayed by Shen of the Canada A men's team. In his match against the #3 Chinese University woman he was pushing, lobbing, and clearly giving less than 100% effort. He would smile and smirk after some of his exhibition style points with her. Then he would set up a pattern and blast the ball past her as if to tell her, "I can do this anytime I want and you can do nothing to stop me. I'm not going to give 100% effort because clearly you're not as good as I am."
I absolutely loved it when she beat him at deuce in the 7th. This was the absolute worst sportsmanship I have seen displayed by a top player in a long, long time. Total lack of respect for one's opponent. It even continued after the match when he was shaking (limply) the hands of the opposing team and giving them a contemptuous smirk. A real A_hole if you ask me.
Larry
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=51&nav=messages&webtag=ab-tabletennis&tid=26218
I must intervene and defend Shen for I know him personally.
Since his arrival in Canada about 5 years ago, I have seen Shen compete and practice on a regular basis. And not once did I see him show any emotion when he plays, may it be at some regional or international tournament. That is just the way he is: very cool and calm, to the extent where it appears as if he doesn't care about table tennis or winning.
I have spent some time with him outside the gym, and he always has this seemingly arrogant attitude. However, this does not mean he disrespects everyone one, male or female. Yes it might seem that way when he plays, but that is just his general introverted personality. Mind you that I much prefer this than the antics and tantrums some high-level adult players throw when the spotlight is upon them.
I did not see the match, but knowing that there was a lot of prize money on the line, I am pretty sure he was trying. Although it may not appear that way.
Michael.
aformal2 adds:
I was not at Baltimore this year, but I have always been
impressed with Shen's play. I saw him at the US Open a few years ago and at
Baltimore last year. It is rare to see a player that smooth, calm, and
relaxed. Plus to be like that at the ripe old age of like 17. That
is amazing!
ALANW6 concurs:
Seconded. I've seen Shen play about 15 times and his manner was no different in Baltimore than I have seen him before. He is the most impassive and seemingly lackadaisical player I've ever seen at such an elevated level. It was shocking at first to see what I took for an 'I don't care attitude'. He cares, believes me. He has great hands, and much of what he does seems effortless. He also rarely reacts and you can never tell whether he just won or lost a point game or match.
He was more emotional against East China than I have ever seen him. What Larry Thoman saw as a 'smirk' I knew to interpret as 'oh my goodness, what can I do?' That wry smile was about being overmatched, and not a dis of the opponent. Having said that, Shen's court mannerisms are pretty unique. I am certain he doesn't disrespect his opponent, though.
Alan
LarryThoman stands firm:
Michael,
This was the first time I'd seen Shen play, so you have a much better feel for what his total personality is like over a longer period of time. However, I stand behind my earlier observation that in that one match, he had complete disregard for his opponent--he wasn't going to give full effort and that he thought that he could pull out the big guns at will and blow her off the table. Arrogance is a good description of what I saw and felt from his behavior on the court during that match. Had he been facing a top male player like David Zhuang I sincerely believe he would not have acted the same. You simply don't push long an easy ball to the backhand then step back and stop lobbing against an opponent for whom you have respect for their attack. And you can't make the case for Shen that this was some type of tactical move because he lost virtually every point in which he did this right up to the end of the match. So my only conclusion is that at least in this one match, he indeed was being quite arrogant, probably sexist, and most definitely disrespectful. I hope he learns from this and can modify his behavior to be more respectful in the future.
Larry
VarShek says:
Playing him is enjoyable and rewarding. He laughed when I ace served him once from the forehand side crosscourt to his forehand- after that, it didn't happen again, which shows that he registers things and tries to prevent a reoccurance. It's his behaviour off the table that's questionable. It's okay to be introverted- I was that way at his age. But he played and practised with many of us in Toronto, and then treated us as almost total strangers when we saw him at tournaments in Ottawa and Montreal. We're not looking for a long conversation with him; just a little hello and acknowledgement wouldn't harm anyone.
aformal2 explains:
Now I don't know the particulars of your situation so I can't say this for sure by any means, but he could have just been in a tournament mind set. For example, my coach is always willing to talk to me before, during, and after lessons as well as at the tt club, etc... but during a tournament he is focused. When I first started taking lessons with him, I made the mistake of talking to him in between matches at a tournament. He did not aknowledge me at the time. At my next lesson, he apologised and politely explained to me that he was mentally focused and that he does not really talk before serious matches as part of his mental preperation. Possibly Shen was doing the same thing? Again, I do not know in which context your interactions took place, but I thought I might offer a possible explanation.
pongiste remarks:
Wilson actually was in the top-100 himself for a while (125
currently). On the other hand, his USATT rating is 2750 not 2700, which was the
level Marco was referring to (but mistakenly including Wilson in that context).
I'm still surprised though that the ECUST women, even considering that they are
clearly world-class and top-20 material, can beat a male top-100 player. I
wonder if that's just a "fluke" or really indicative of the respective
level of play. (Has Gao Jun ever beaten a 2700-player?) Too bad Keinath wasn't
in Baltimore this time.
U.S. Open Championships
Rating before tournament: 2581
Rating after tournament: 2605
Rating change: 24
see complete history for Qiang, Shen
| Event |
Results |
Score |
Rating +/- |
||
| Wins | |||||
| Men's Singles |
|
8,4,9 | 13 | ||
| Men's Singles |
|
2,8,5,7 | 3 | ||
| Men's Singles Qualification Rr |
|
5,6,2,5 | 0 | ||
| Men's Singles Qualification Rr |
|
6,4,3,5 | 0 | ||
| U21 Men's Singles |
|
5,-8,8,8,8 | 13 | ||
| U21 Men's Singles |
|
6,5,4,4 | 0 | ||
| U21 Men's Singles |
|
8,-10,5,9,-11,4 | 1 | ||
| Losses | |||||
| Men's Singles |
|
8,4,10,9 | -1 | ||
| U21 Men's Singles |
|
-7,8,3,7,4 | -5 | ||