Ping Pong Episode 43 Recap
> Ping Pong Recap
During a crucial match, Yu Kenan, experiencing severe shoulder pain, called for a timeout. He looked towards his father in the stands, recalling his childhood promise to win a world championship for him, a promise born from his father's relentless pressure to train and win. Despite his injury, Yu Kenan felt a surge of strength and returned to the arena.
Although he was known for his backhand, his shoulder injury prevented its use, so he began to use powerful forehand attacks, scoring consecutive points and causing Xu Tan's footwork to falter. Xu Tan's knee injury, which had been worsening, was further aggravated, leading him to take his only timeout. Meanwhile, Teng Biao and Lei Cheng were engaged in their own intense chess match.
Their game had reached a stalemate, where continuing would only lead to both sides suffering, yet neither Lei Cheng nor Teng Biao would choose to give up. Lei Cheng noted that Teng Biao hadn't played chess in a long time, but he himself had not stopped, suggesting it would be difficult for Teng Biao to win.
Lei Cheng also revealed Xu Tan's childhood fear of the dark, recalling a training session where Xu Tan, down 0-3, was brought to a dark athlete's aisle. Lei Cheng told him that walking through it was like dying and being reborn, which had helped Xu Tan overcome his fear and regain his composure.
They reflected on how their own youthful, excessive desire to win had led to their past falling out and regrets, seeing their younger selves in Xu Tan and Yu Kenan. Lei Cheng expressed his sole wish for Teng Biao to help him submit an application to the national team so he could personally mentor Xu Tan, hoping to prevent the young players from becoming unscrupulous for the sake of winning.
Xu Tan soon rejoined the game, both players having used their single timeout. The score was tight at 3-3, heading into the most crucial seventh game, and their injuries were apparent to each other. Despite the pain, Xu Tan demonstrated incredible foresight, predicting Yu Kenan's returns and positioning himself perfectly to score, ultimately dragging the match into a decisive seventh game.
The commentators lauded Xu Tan's strategic brilliance, dubbing him the "diviner of the national team," while also noting Yu Kenan's improved forehand skills under pressure. They emphasized the significance of this match, which would see the winner's name engraved on the St. Bride's Vase. In the seventh game, both players seemed hesitant to attack each other's injured areas—Xu Tan avoided Yu Kenan's backhand, and Yu Kenan avoided Xu Tan's forehand.
This led to a brief period of cautious play, where both were trying to predict the other's moves, a testament to their decade-long familiarity as opponents and former doubles partners. However, their intensity quickly returned, elevating the match to a white-hot intensity, a "ping-pong duel on the top of Mount Everest," as one commentator put it. As the match intensified, Fang Yue, concerned that both players were risking their careers, decided to apply for a medical suspension.
He expressed to Lei Cheng, his master, that if they continued, "their careers will end in this arena." During the suspension, Fang Yue confronted Xu Tan, reminding him of his severe knee injury and urging him to quit. He argued that withdrawing now would allow Xu Tan to compete in future Olympics, World Cups, and Grand Slams.
However, Xu Tan adamantly refused, declaring, "I don't care" about Grand Slams, and simply stated his reason for playing was "Because I like it. Very much." Simultaneously, Liu Shi spoke to Yu Kenan, imploring him to stop. He reminded Yu Kenan of their happy, carefree days in the second team before the pressure of championships, and warned him that continuing could end his career, just as it had for him and his teammate Fu Jingchun.
Despite these appeals, both Xu Tan and Yu Kenan chose to return to the table, driven by their passion for the sport. The final moments of the seventh game were tense. Yu Kenan's attack failed, and Xu Tan ultimately won the match, securing the 2015 Suzhou World Table Tennis Championships title, his first world championship. Both players successively collapsed on the court due to exhaustion and pain.
Following the match, a visibly emotional Yu Kenan changed his hairstyle back to its original look and stood before his father, Yu Ge, for the first time shedding tears. Yu Ge explained that he had named his son "Ke Nan" to symbolize his hope that Yu Kenan would reclaim the Olympic gold medal lost to Yoo Nam-kyu. He admitted that he had always pushed Yu Kenan to train, win, and achieve what he himself could not.
Even when Yu Kenan achieved good results in the past, his father never showed him warmth, but after this match, his father finally, for the first time, actively embraced Yu Kenan, giving him the greatest encouragement and comfort.
Acknowledging that Yu Kenan had surpassed him, standing "at a place higher than where the rest of us are," Yu Ge gave him an ornament, a gift from his own grandfather, signifying that from now on, Yu Kenan would walk his own path. Meanwhile, Xu Tan went to Lei Cheng's home, where he quietly enjoyed his master's homemade fried sauce noodles, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
Lei Cheng told Xu Tan that he had watched the final match and that while Xu Tan once believed he chose ping-pong, now he understood that ping-pong had also chosen him. Lei Cheng encouraged him to continue working hard. Despite his victory, Xu Tan faced a critical decision regarding his knee injury. A doctor confirmed that his collapse during the match had further damaged his meniscus, and the condition was worsening.
The doctor advised immediate surgery, warning that a delay of a year could severely impact his career. However, Xu Tan steadfastly refused, explaining that the upcoming Rio Olympic Games, which was a year away, would be his first and last opportunity to compete, and surgery now would prevent him from participating. He chose to temporarily suppress the injury, even if it meant lifetime disability, to preserve his chance at the Olympics.
