Table of Contents
What Grand Slam means in table tennis?
Grand Slam in table tennis happens when a player wins 3 of the biggest table tennis tournaments of the world; namely the Olympics, World Table Tennis Championship (WTTC), and the World Cup.
A Grand Slam, just like in other sports, is the hardest feat to achieve in table tennis.
1. Olympics
The table tennis event at the Summer Olympics held every four years. Table tennis was introduced in the Olympics in 1988.
2. World Table Tennis Championship (aka WTTC or World Championships)
World Table Tennis Championship is one of the major table tennis tournaments sanctioned by the ITTF held bi-annually since 1926.
3. World Cup
Word Cup is another major table tennis tournaments sanctioned by the ITTF held annually since 1990.
Who are table tennis Grand Slam winners?
As of 2024, there has been 12 table tennis grand slam winners. Out of these 12, 6 are men and 5 are women. Only Jan-Ove Waldner is the only non-Chinese to ever win a Grand Slam.
The complete list of table tennis grand slam winners are as follows:
1. Jan-Ove Waldner (Sweden)
Olympics – 1992
World Championship – 1989
World Cup – 1990
2. Deng Yaping (China)
Olympics – 1992
World Championship – 1991
World Cup – 1996
3. Liu Guoliang (China)
Olympics – 1996
World Championship – 1999
World Cup – 1996
4. Kong Linghui (China)
Olympics – 2000
World Championship – 1995
World Cup – 1995
5. Wang Nan (China)
Olympics – 2000
World Championship – 1999
World Cup – 1997
6. Zhang Yining (China)
Olympics – 2004
World Championship – 2005
World Cup – 2001
7. Zhang Jike (China)
Olympics – 2012
World Championship – 2011
World Cup – 2011
8. Li Xiaoxia (China)
Olympics – 2012
World Championship – 2013
World Cup – 2008
9. Ding Ning (China)
Olympics – 2016
World Championship – 2011
World Cup – 2011
10. Ma Long (China)
Olympics – 2016
World Championship – 2015
World Cup – 2012
Olympics – 2020
World Championship – 2017
World Cup – 2015
11. Fan Zhendong (China)
Olympics – 2024
World Championship – 2021
World Cup – 2016
What is a double Grand Slam in Table Tennis?
Double Grand Slam in table tennis happens when a player achieves Grand Slam two times. In 2020 at the Tokyo Olympics, Ma Long made history when he won the gold medal in Men’s Singles making him the only player in table tennis history to win a Double Grand Slam. He completed the first Grand Slam in 2016 (2012 World Cup, 2015 World Championship & 2016 Olympics) and then in 2020 (2015 World Cup, 2017 World Championship & 2020 Olympics). For this reason, Ma long is widely considered the greatest table tennis player of all time (GOAT).
Frequent Asked Questions
Is there a time span to achieve a Grand Slam?
No. You don’t have to achieve a Grand Slam for a certain period. A Grand Slam in table tennis can be achieved within 4, 8, 12 – whatever the case may be.
Why is WTT Grand Smash not one of the Grand Slam awards?
WTT Grand Smash is a flagship tournament of the WTT events. While it is indeed one of the biggest table tennis tournament, it is a relatively new tournament.
Who is the first Grand Slam winner in table tennis?
Jan-Ove Waldner is the first table tennis player to win a Grand Slam (1992 Olympics, 1989 World Championship, and 1990 World Cup.
Why is it hard to achieve Grand Slam in table tennis?
One of the reason Grand Slam in table tennis hard to achieved because you also need to win the Olympics which only happens every four years. Just like any other sports, table tennis is a wear and tear sports and every year there is infinite influx og great players specially in China.
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