Why they rank here
At his 2018 to 2019 peak, Kento Momota was untouchable. He won back-to-back World Championships (2018, 2019) and captured a record 11 titles in the 2019 calendar season, the most in the sport's history, finishing the year as an utterly dominant world No. 1. A left-hander who relied on pinpoint control, elite defence and tactical intelligence rather than raw power, he had already rebuilt his career after a 2016 gambling scandal cost him a place at the Rio Olympics. Then, in January 2020, a car crash in Malaysia that killed the driver left Momota with a fractured eye socket; he was never quite the same, exiting Tokyo 2020 in the group stage. He retired in 2024. For roughly two seasons, however, few players in history have been more complete, and that fleeting peak was as high as anyone has reached.
Career profile
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Head-to-head
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