Interview with Fanbo Meng (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell): ‘You can feel how close we are to the title.’

Fanbo Meng could become the challenger to highly rated rivals 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT or TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen with TTC RhönSprudel Fulda at the Liebherr Cup Final Four on 4 January in Neu-Ulm. In this interview, the 2021 team vice world champion talks about his team's goals, the appeal of the tournament and his memories of his Final Four debut in 2022.

Fanbo Meng, you and TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell will be competing for the first title of the season at the Liebherr Cup Final Four on 4 January in Neu-Ulm. How do you feel about this landmark event in general, and what are your expectations?

I'm really looking forward to this event. The Cup Final Four is one of the highlights of the season: compact, intense and with a special atmosphere. For us, it's a great opportunity to play for a title right at the start of the year. Of course, we're really looking forward to it, but at the same time we're also highly focused.

What is your team's goal going into the tournament?

The goal is clear: we want to win the cup. When you're in the Final Four, you shouldn't just participate, you should also aim to be at the top. To do that, we have to play our best table tennis in every match.

In the TTBL, Fulda won the duel with semi-final opponent TTC OE Clarity Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg. Does that alone make your team the favourite?

I think it's difficult to say that we are the favourites against Bad Homburg because it's a knockout match. It's a semi-final, we're in the Final Four. It's not for nothing that they say the cup has its own rules. It's a completely different event from the league matches. That's why we have to be fully present and focused from the first to the last point.

The semi-final is also a Hesse derby. Does the derby character play a role?

Of course. These matches between Fulda and Bad Homburg are always a little more intense, a little more emotional than the other matches. But as I said, we're trying to focus completely on our performance.

If Fulda reaches the final, either Champions League winner 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT or double winner TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen will be their opponent. Your team lost to both of these teams in the first half of the TTBL season: who would you prefer to face?

To be honest, I don't really care. If you want to win the cup, you have to beat everyone – regardless of whether your opponent is Saarbrücken or Ochsenhausen. Both teams are among the very best, and that's what makes a potential final so exciting.

Fulda did not make it to the cup final or the play-offs last season. Does that mean there is more pressure on your team against Bad Homburg?

I wouldn't say that there is any additional pressure because of that. I see it more as motivation. Last season is over, now a new chapter is beginning, and we have the chance to achieve something special right away.

This is your second appearance in the Liebherr Cup Final Four after 2022. What makes this event so appealing to you?

The format is very special. Everything is decided in one day. The hall is sold out and packed to the rafters. The tension is extremely high, and every rally and every moment can be decisive. That's what the spectators want to see. The table tennis is of the highest standard.

What do you remember most about your debut at the tournament?

That was during the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, the hall was empty at the time because spectators were not yet allowed back in. I thought that was a great shame, but nevertheless you could sense that the atmosphere was completely different due to the intimacy, the proximity to the title and the many emotions – that stays in your mind. At the time, I was leading 2-1 in sets against Anton Källberg in our semi-final against Borussia Düsseldorf and was also ahead in the deciding set. Ultimately, it was a very bitter defeat for us. But overall, I thought it was great at the time, and I'm even more excited this time because the hall is now sold out.

In the cup, up to two team matches are scheduled within a few hours. In major tournaments, on the other hand, the schedule is now almost exclusively designed for one match per day. How do you prepare yourself for this unusual strain as an active player?

Regeneration and mental preparation are extremely important. You have to learn to switch off quickly and refocus just as quickly. Nutrition during these hours and communication are also very important. Everything happens very quickly, and you have to be there immediately.

What headline would you like to read about your team or yourself the day after the Liebherr Cup final?

I would love to read ‘Fulda crowns strong team spirit and wins the cup’ in our Fulda newspaper or on the TTBL website. For our manager Stefan Frauenholz, ‘A long-standing project by Frauenholz comes to fruition’ would also be nice. But there's still a long way to go, especially as I believe that Saarbrücken is currently the top team and the best there is, with Fan Zhendong, Patrick Franziska, Darko Jorgic, Edy Ionescu, Yuto Muramatsu and Cedric Meissner. But as I said, in a final or in the Final Four, anything can happen on any given day; momentum can be the deciding factor. I'm really looking forward to it and am very excited to see how it goes.

Thank you very much for talking to us, Fanbo Meng.

Interview: Florian Manzke