Zhang Jike
Wang Liqin
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Zhang Jike leads 3 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Zhang Jike at #6 and Wang Liqin at #7.
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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.
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.