by Ian Marshall, Editor

The record holder of men’s singles titles at the European Championships, seven in total, Timo Boll is also the most successful player ever at the German National Championships, he was won on 12 occasions, the first being in 1998 in Saarbrücken when he beat Torben Wosik in the final.

“It’s my farewell to fighting for the national title, my last participation in this tournament, which has always been very important to me. Participating in the German Championships has always been an honour and an obligation for me. The international demands are more and more with important dates; in order to be well placed in the world rankings you have to play so many tournaments. In addition, I have many goals with Borussia Düsseldorf. I have to be sensible and consider my age. ” Timo Boll

Make no mistake, Timo Boll is still ambitious and has distinct goals, in particular the Liebherr 2019 World Championships and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“I want to play as long as I enjoy and the body can cope; that may take a few more years.” Timo Boll

The major challenger for Timo Boll in Wetzlar is Patrick Franziska; Timo Boll celebrates his 38th birthday on Friday 8th March.