Wang Nan
Zhang Jike
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Wang Nan leads 3 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Wang Nan at #5 and Zhang Jike at #6.
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The case for Wang Nan
Wang Nan collected one of the largest trophy hauls in the sport's history, amassing more than twenty world championship titles across singles, doubles and team events. She won four Olympic gold medals between 2000 and 2008, took World Championship singles titles in 1999, 2001 and 2003, and won multiple World Cups to complete a career Grand Slam. A left-handed attacker with superb consistency and doubles instincts, she anchored China's women's team through a golden decade and formed legendary doubles partnerships. Her longevity was exceptional: she reached the Beijing 2008 singles final on home soil near the end of her career. Few players, male or female, have accumulated silverware on her scale, and her collective record remains staggering.
The case for Zhang Jike
Zhang Jike burst to the top with unmatched speed, completing the career Grand Slam in just 445 days, the fastest in history, by winning the 2011 World Championship, the 2011 World Cup and the London 2012 Olympic singles title in rapid succession. He defended his world title in 2013 and added another Olympic gold in the Rio 2016 team event, reaching the singles final there. Explosive backhand power, a ferocious serve and a theatrical, high-intensity presence made him one of the sport's most watched stars. Injuries and inconsistency curtailed his later years, but at his peak his raw firepower and clutch performance in the biggest finals placed him among the most devastating attackers the game has produced.