Losing 0-3 to the Lebrun Brothers: Is Fan Zhendong's Off Day Tied to the ZYRE-03?
Well, well — you are asking and answering yourself here. Your very title says “off day,” and he used the ZYRE-03, so how could there be no connection? Last night, in the Champions League final, Fan Zhendong’s Saarbrücken beat the Lebrun brothers’ Nîmes-Montpellier 3-2 to claim the Champions League again. But his individual showing was poor — Fan Zhendong lost two 0-3 matches to the elder and younger Lebrun. It was thanks to Darko’s one point and Moregard’s awesome two points that they got a happy ending.
1
Back to the match. First 0-3 to Alexis, then 0-3 to Felix. From the scores, it is hard to understand. Fan Zhendong made quite a few unforced errors in the match. Some chance balls — looping into the net or off the table. On the last point against Felix, in a counter-loop exchange, Fan Zhendong ended it by looping off the table. Normally, with his quality, such errors are rare too. Of course, besides this, both Lebruns’ serve rhythm leans fast with much variation, and Fan Zhendong was somewhat unsteady receiving. The rhythm was not quite right, and his center-of-gravity adjustment was not timely enough.
Is this tied to his own condition? There should be some relation. After all, this was CCTV’s first broadcast of a Champions League final in years; for the current Fan Zhendong, this is already a big match. There is pressure. State adjustment — even with past experience, he has not played a big match in a long time. He may not keep as stable a state as before. This weekend, playing the alumni cup, I felt the same. On ordinary days I feel I am still improving. But after all, in two years I have competed only once. My on-the-fly adjustment and state control against unfamiliar ball patterns are still lacking. I lost two matches, playing my weakest ever. Fan Zhendong still competes, but the intensity is not as high as a few years ago, and he has not had a big match experience like this in a long time.
2
On ability, from the head-to-head record, before this final the elder Lebrun (Alexis) and Fan Zhendong were one win apiece, both going the full five games — meaning his ball patterns are fairly tricky. The younger Lebrun (Felix) had never beaten Fan Zhendong before. Even though over two years the younger Lebrun improved, Fan Zhendong should not collapse 0-3 with no resistance. So, even if state adjustment is not what it was, Fan Zhendong should not play this off.
3
This way, especially from the match’s look, Fan Zhendong’s level has a fair amount to do with using the ZYRE-03 on the forehand. In the match, he looked at his bat, the forehand rubber, at least three times. In yesterday’s article, I mentioned two points. Players of this level have enough ability to cover most equipment differences. But at the same time, I also said, normally, it is best for opponents to meet at their peak, to better test your equipment’s fit. The Lebrun brothers are up to this heavy task of helping Xiaopang test the rubber.
It is not that the Z03 is no good, but a matter of fit. Whether it fits, first, depends on your technical style. If you charge forward mainly looping, chasing speed and penetration, no big problem. If you really need layered spin variation, its rhythm is a bit single. Also, fit depends on your habit. You are used to tacky rubber; can you adapt to a tensor in a short time? Maybe, once accustomed later, the Z03 can still be quite playable. But for now, not fully adapted, it may just be temporarily unsuitable.
On the ZYRE-03’s traits, we can go back to the article I wrote before this rubber launched. A few points to note. One: at first, you may feel this rubber cannot grip the ball on serve, and pops up on short pushes. Two: Shunsuke Togami said, for players who like the feel of striking and ball-holding, the Z03 is hard to handle; but if used well, once you are accustomed, maybe it reaches a new stage. Evaluating a rubber good or bad cannot use a single standard. The key is still whether you adapt, whether it suits you.
In sum, Fan Zhendong made this rubber-switch choice, and the choice merely resulted in a temporary loss. That is all. But even so, he got a decent ending: the Champions League title. At this alumni cup, though I played poorly, with teammates’ help I reached the final. This shows teammates are key too. Seeing Fan Zhendong’s smile after winning, we should also understand: no one can be invincible forever. Do not dwell on your own regrets. Put your heart on the things that make you happy.