Timo Boll
Timo Boll ( born March 8, 1981 in Erbach ) is a German table tennis pro who with Borussia Dusseldorf plays in the German Table Tennis League since 2006. He is the most successful German table tennis player and part for more than ten years of absolute world class. He is regarded as one of the smartest tacticians of the sport and is also known for his fair play in all situations. In China, the land of the world champions, he is one of the most popular German at all.
Achievements
Timo Boll won in his career to a variety of international championships. In 2003, he was world ranked first and from then on always occupied a place among the top seven. Since 2002 he has been the dominant player in Europe. His most notable successes were the third place at the 2011 World Cup as well as the two-time winning the World Cup. The European Championships he won six, the Europe Top 12 five times. In doubles, he became vice - world champion and five-time European champions. With the German team won Olympic silver in Beijing Boll 2008, bronze in London 2012, and five times the European title. In addition, he was a total of five times Champions League winner with the Goennern (two items) and Borussia Dusseldorf ( three items).
Sports career
Childhood and youth
Age of four came to Timo Boll Table Tennis and was coached by his father. In 1986 he became a member of the TSV Höchst and 1875 he learned to the basic practice of table tennis. At eight, he was discovered by the Hessian State coach Helmut Hampl, who promoted him then. In 1990, he began training at the training center Pfungstadt, four years later, he moved to FTG Frankfurt with which he took part in the league, allowing other clubs were aware of him. So also the Goennern, who signed him in 1995. In order to train daily with the 14 -year-old Timo Boll, the complete table tennis team of patrons was contractually obliged to 170 km, a maximum draw. Timo Boll was put in position five of the team that lost in the season just a game, thus contributing its part to the rise of the team in the Bundesliga at. He is the youngest player in league history with Frank Klitzsch. Patrons reached, contrary to expectations in the league and rose no more from until the 2008/09 season.
The first international successes celebrated Timo Boll at the 1995 European Cadet Championships in The Hague, where he won gold three times. After the second place in 1996, its first European Championship in the junior class, he won in the following two years the title in singles and more medals in doubles and with the team.
The school he finished with the average maturity.
On top of the world (2002-2003)
2002 managed Timo Boll with his victory - the first German - at the Europe Top -12- Tournament victory against Vladimir Samsonov entry into the absolutely world class and was at the same time as tenth best German ITTF World Ranking by outdated Jörg Rosskopf. At the European Championships in Zagreb he reached the singles and doubles with Zoltan Fejer - Konnerth the gold medal, the team lost the final narrowly to the Swedish team. By winning the World Cup in 2002 in Jinan, in the course of which he beat the world champion Wang Liqin and the Olympic champion Kong Linghui clear, he laid the foundation stone for the first position in the world rankings, from which he displaced Ma Lin in January 2003. At the European Championships in 2003, Vladimir Samsonov was too strong for Timo Boll. After retiring in the Individual World Championships in the second round he lost the first world ranking place again.
Injury and comeback (2004-2006)
The first half of 2004 was marked stronghold of back problems. This also hindered the preparations for the 2004 Olympics, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals against Jan- Ove Waldner. After a weaker period Timo Boll could international tournament victories, as well as the semi-finals of the Pro Tour Finals in Beijing, where he lost to Ma Lin only just recorded at the end of the year.
2005 Boll won at the World Championships in doubles together with Christian Suss the silver medal. After correcting a referee wrong decision in favor of his opponent in the single knockout round, where he retired, he received the Fair Play Award from the ITTF. The rest of the year designed Boll successful. The highlight was winning the Champions League with patrons and the World Cup victory in Liege, where he was able to overcome all three Chinese top players.
In 2006, he won for the third time, the Europe Top 12 tournament, and defended with patrons the Champions League title.
In the years 2005 and 2006 Boll played in the Chinese Super League for the clubs Guangdong Baomashi (balance sheet: 3:2 ) and Zhejiang Haining Hongxiang (balance sheet: 8:5 ).
Change to Borussia Dusseldorf
In December 2006, Timo Boll signed a three -year contract with Borussia Dusseldorf, the German record champions. The change was to be expected Gönnern and lack of top players and successes due to the financial situation. Foreign clubs like the Royal Villette Charleroi had tried to win him over, but Boll decided because of the good training conditions with regard to the 2008 Olympic Games and because of the opportunity to train there with his doubles partner Christian Suss, for Dusseldorf. On 1 July 2007, his three- year contract began with Borussia Dusseldorf, where he contractually occurring in every league game to use in order to focus more on international tournaments can. Meanwhile, the contract was extended until 2014.
Other major successes (since 2007)
In 2007 he won the European title in singles, doubles and team competition. As a guest player he was again active in the Chinese Super League.
At the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 he reached with the German national team after victories over Croatia, Canada, Singapore and Japan the final of the team event, which was lost 0-3 to hosts China. He was the first player he succeeded also in the same year to defend his title three from the previous year at a European Championship.
At the World Championships in 2008 and 2009 in China and Japan Timo Boll could not attend because of back problems.
Since the beginning of 2011 Timo Boll was to find back to position one in the world rankings after he had defeated Ma Lin in the Volkswagencup. In April 2011, he was replaced by Wang Hao.
At the World Cup 2011 Boll got his first medal in singles. He had deliberately avoided attending the Doubles events, in order to focus exclusively on the individual. After wins over Kenji Matsudaira (Japan ) Yang Zi ( Singapore ), Robert Svensson ( Sweden), Dimitrij Ovtcharov ( Germany ) and Chen Qi (China ), he reached the semifinals, making him bronze was safe. Here, the eventual world champion Zhang Jike (China), however, showed superior and won 4-1. At the World Team Championships 2010 in Moscow and 2012 in Dortmund Boll came with the German team to the finals, but lost there in each case the Chinese. In the Table Tennis European Championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011, he won another seven titles.
In the 2012 Olympics he won the semi-finals of the team competition against the Chinese Olympic champion and world champion Zhang Jike and so took the only point for the German team against the Chinese team. In the final match for the bronze medal against Hong Kong Boll contributed with two victories in individual mean that the German team to Beijing again in 2008 won an Olympic medal. In the individual competition Boll came as a surprise not have the knockout stages beyond, where he lost against Romanian Adrian Crisan with 1:4. At the World Cup in Liverpool, he moved for the fourth time to the final, had to be there but Ma Long 0:4 beaten. Also in 2012 he won his sixth individual title at the European Championships. He defeated in the semifinals his London -slayer Adrian Crisan and in the final Tan Ruiwu from Croatia 4-1, respectively.
2013 Boll reached the World Cup quarter-finals, where he lost to the world ranked Second Ma Long 2:4. After clearly losing the first set, the other sets took a close outcome.
Technique and playing style
Timo Boll is left-handed and plays with the European shakehand service grip. His aggressive and offensive topspin game he uses both close to the table as well as from half-distance. He is considered the player with the best and most variable spin.
Personal
Boll is married to Rodelia Jacobi since 31 December 2003. With her he has a daughter ( * Oct. 2013).
Social Commitment
Timo Boll presents itself for years for charity events and exhibition matches available to help people in need.
However, the core of his social activities is his involvement in the clubs "Athletes for organ donation " and " children with organ transplantation," where he advocates for organ donation.
Awards
- Bambi 2005 in the category Sports
- Fair Play Award of the Minister of the Interior 2007
- Silver Bay Leaf 2008
- Sportsman of the year: 2nd place 2007, 2008, 2010; 3rd place in 2005, 2011
- Felix - NRW Sportsman of the Year: 2009, 2010, 2011
Achievements at a glance
Singles
- World Cup: Bronze 2011 Quarterfinals 2013
- European Championships: Gold 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012
- World Cup winners 2002, 2005, Second 2008, 2012, third in 2010
- 18 -time Pro Tour champion in singles at Grand Slams as China Open, Japan Open, German Open
- Europe Top 12: Winner 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010
- European Champions League: winner 2005, 2006 and Goennern 2009, 2010, 2011 with Borussia Dusseldorf
- ETTU Cup winner with Borussia Dusseldorf: 2012
- European Super Cup: 2007, 2008, 2009
- German champion: 1998, 2001-2007, 2009
Team
- Olympic Games: Silver 2008, Bronze 2012
- World Championships: silver in 2004, 2010, 2012
- European Championships: Gold 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- German champion: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- German Cup Champion: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013
Doubles
- World Championships: Silver in 2005
- European Championships: gold in 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Others
- As the first German number one in the world rankings (January 2003)
- Since December 2004, constantly between space 1 and 7 of the ITTF World Ranking
History of the position in the world rankings
There is a lack of ITTF:
- Entire 2009
- January 2006
- March 2005
- December 2002