Zhang Yining
Wang Liqin
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Zhang Yining leads 3 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Zhang Yining at #4 and Wang Liqin at #7.
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The case for Zhang Yining
Zhang Yining was the defining women's player of the 2000s, a complete attacker who dominated with power and consistency. She won four Olympic gold medals, singles and doubles at Athens 2004 and singles and team at Beijing 2008, plus World Championship singles titles in 2005 and 2009 and a remarkable run of Women's World Cup victories, completing the career Grand Slam. For much of the decade she was virtually unbeatable in major finals, blending relentless topspin with tactical composure. Retiring in 2009 as one of the most successful players in history, she bridged the Deng Yaping and Ding Ning eras and set the standard of all-round excellence that the Chinese women's programme has demanded ever since.
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.