Stay on the ball, have stamina and be willing to perform – Timo Boll (41) has been one of the most successful table tennis players in the world for many years. His recipe for success is as simple as the professional is modest: “I was only ever interested in getting the best out of myself.” He was never someone “who set himself the goal, ‘I want to be number one in the world’,” he explains with a smile in the interview.
That hasn’t stopped the current world No. 10 from clinching big wins in Asian-dominated terrain. In 2002, Timo Boll made it into the absolute top of the world with his victory – as the first German – in the Europe TOP 12 tournament against Vladimir Samsonow (46). In January 2003, at the age of only 21, he was number 1. No reason for Boll to be arrogant, after all top performances don’t come by chance.
“What counts is years of preparation, discipline, tirelessly working on yourself, constantly reinventing yourself, being innovative, being one step ahead of the others and always being able to perform at your best, especially at the peak,” says the 41-year-old, explaining the hard work. That also includes “doing the same shot 1,000 times,” laughs Boll.
It is important that “the performance at the peak in the decisive situations is also right”. It doesn’t matter whether it’s table tennis or athletics. Together with world-class long jumper and sprinter Malaika Mihambo (28), the table tennis ace is therefore an ambassador for Bridgestone’s current “Prepared to Perform” campaign, which the tire manufacturer launched as a partner of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
That’s exactly when Boll wants to be able to call on his performance and finally win gold, because “unfortunately I haven’t won a gold medal at the Olympic Games yet. So of course it’s still a goal”. For Boll it would be the seventh game of games. How does he see the chances of the German team? “Of course, the Chinese are very tough competitors for us. They often thwarted our plans. But there’s no such thing as giving up in sport, and I certainly don’t!”
That’s exactly the point: staying tuned is Boll’s motto and apparently also the recipe for a successful game on the record. After all, the native of Erbach has been involved in professional sports for over two decades. It should stay that way for a while! “I’m not that far yet,” Boll assures when asked if he’s ever thought about quitting. In his opinion, this is “a good sign that I still enjoy it very, very much”. He just enjoys “every moment of continuing to torment me, to challenge me and to get the best out of me”.
