Ma Long
Wang Liqin
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Ma Long leads 3 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Ma Long at #1 and Wang Liqin at #7.
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The case for Ma Long
Widely regarded as the greatest player in history, Ma Long is the only man to complete the career Grand Slam twice, winning each of the World Championship, World Cup and Olympic singles titles at least twice. He took Olympic singles gold in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and claimed World Championship titles in 2015, 2017 and 2019. His six Olympic gold medals, across singles and team events, make him the most decorated Olympic table tennis player ever and one of China's most successful Olympians. Nicknamed the Dragon, he combined complete two-wing technique, relentless footwork and a run atop the world rankings measured in years, dominating through the plastic-ball transition that unsettled rivals.
The case for Wang Liqin
A towering right-hander with one of the most powerful forehand loops the game has seen, Wang Liqin won three World Championship singles titles, in 2001, 2005 and 2007, a haul matched by very few. He spent extended periods as world number one and anchored China's team through the 2000s, adding Olympic team and doubles golds. The great gap in his record is an Olympic singles title, which repeatedly eluded him, denying him the career Grand Slam despite his stature. Blending classical two-wing technique with imposing physicality, he was the dominant force between the Kong Linghui and Ma Lin generations and the Ma Long era, a three-time world champion whose peak would headline almost any other nation.