Defense artist Wang Xi leaves the TTBL after 17 years

An era is coming to an end in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL): After a total of 17 years in the German elite league, Chinese-born defensive star Wang Xi is leaving his last Bundesliga station ASV Grünwettersbach.

According to Karlsruhe, Wang Xi wants to accept an offer from abroad at the age of 40. At the same time, the club of former team runner-up Ricardo Walther also announced the departure of Slovenian international Deni Kozul.

Together with his former club colleague Tiago Apolonia and Ruwen Filus (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell), Wang was the player with the third longest career in the top flight of the TTBL professionals in the season that is coming to an end. After making his Bundesliga debut at TTV Gönnern in 2007, the defensive strategist joined Fulda-Maberzell for eleven years before Grünwettersbach signed the Asian player in 2019.

The longest-serving TTBL players are German idol Timo Boll (Borussia Düsseldorf) and former European Championship bronze medallist Bastian Steger (TSV Bad Königshofen). Boll made his Bundesliga debut for Gönnern in 1996, before Steger made his first appearance in the top German league for Düsseldorf four years later.

ASV Grünwettersbach is facing new challenges as a result of Wang Xi's short-term departure. The two new signings Leo de Nodrest and Guilherme Teodoro will be increasingly deployed in the TTBL. Due to the short notice of his transfer request, it was agreed with Wang Xi that he would not be given a proper farewell at the last game of the season, but at a game in the coming season.

Source: SID/ASV Grünwettersbach
Featured image above: Wang Xi (Photo: BeLa Sportfoto)