By Henry Chen 

“As for me, getting a ‘Full Grand Slam’ is still an extreme happiness,” Ma Long said.

Ma Long is now considered to be the most successful table tennis player in the men’s division at this point in time.

Starting off with the domestic scene, Ma Long has already clinched the most important titles: the Chinese Table Tennis Championships in 2011 and the Chinese National Games in 2013. The latter is known as the Chinese version of the Olympic Games.

Asia is also a successful stage for Ma Long. He has secured the Asian Cup, Asian Championships and the Asian Games. In the World Tour circuit, Ma Long has already garnered a number of championship titles, including the Grand Finals.

Aside from those, Ma Long has also earned his titles in the World Cup and World Championships. He indeed has accomplished a lot in his career but it was only in last August 11 that he had his biggest fulfilment: the Olympic Singles gold.

Head coach Liu Guoliang has expressed his high expectations on Ma Long. The coach has said in an interview that Ma Long can certainly adhere for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“I feel Ma Long can certainly go to Tokyo Olympic Games,” Liu Guoliang said

So would Ma Long be going for his third Olympic Games in Tokyo?

“In terms of my goals, I have already achieved a desired result in my career. As for my next goal, I still need to calmly think about it. The four-year cycle is a painful thing. I need to consider where I can rely for support into the next four years,” he explained.

Although the reigning Olympic champion hasn’t decided yet on his next goal, including the next Olympic Games, there is one thing he has decided already.

“Certainly, I will not retire now,” Ma Long concluded.