Table Tennis is an offbeat sport to list its richest players as the small indoor circuit game doesn’t attract mainstream attention. Table Tennis, casually known as Ping-Pong, isn’t just limited to Olympic and Commonwealth events as the players play for various clubs and tournaments around the year. In this post you will see some of the richest table tennis players in the world.
The sport is moderated by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) that was established in 1926 and has more than 220 countries as their active members.
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Here we list the 10 richest table tennis players in the world who made luxury out of this small circuit sport by their dedication and hard work over the years-
1. Ma Long
Net Worth: $20 million
Ma Long is a multiple-time World Table Tennis Champion and rightly deserves the richest table tennis player in the world tag. He won three world cup championships between 2004 to 2012, making himself the most successful player on the circuit. Ma Long holds the undisputed record of holding the number 1 position in the world for the longest period of 64 months by any male player in the history of table tennis.
He is also the men’s singles World Champion in the years 2015, 2017 and 2019. His long list of achievements also includes 2016 and 2020 Olympic gold medals in the men’s singles table tennis. Ma Long is a legend of table tennis and tops the lists on and off the game. His net worth is approximately $20 million including his earnings, partnerships and deals.
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2. Wang Liqin
Net Worth: $20 million
Wang Liqin is considered to be one of the greatest of this sport. He holds the second-largest consecutive streak of being the #1 player in the world for 25 months straight. He was ranked the world’s best tennis player from the year 2004 to 2006.
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3. Chen Jing
Net Worth: $18 million
Chen Jing is a legend of this sport and an Olympic champion for China who won the gold medal in singles and a silver medal in doubles at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Representing Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics she won silver and a bronze at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
She is also a Doctorate in Sports Psychology from the South China Normal University. The only woman in the list of richest table tennis players even though Chen Jing retired from the sport for a long time now, her net worth calculates up to $18 million.
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4. Jean-Michel Saive
Net Worth: $15 million
Jean-Michel Saive has a 35-year long professional career as he started playing table tennis when he was very young. His lifelong experience around the circuit is impeccable and he is one of the legends of the sport. Saive completed a record 7 consecutive Olympic Games from 1988 to 2012 representing Belgium. He won the European Championship singles in the year 1994.
He retired from professional table tennis at the age of 1949. The estimate of Saive’s net worth is approximately $15 million as calculated by experts based upon his stocks, properties and belongings. Considering his long-term career and experience, Jean-Michel Saive deserves it more than anyone.
5. Jan-Ove Waldner
Net Worth: $10 million
Jan-Ove Waldner is an artist of this circuit sport often considered as “The Mozart” and “Magic Shoes” among the table tennis fraternity. He is one of the most celebrated table tennis players in the world. The Swedish national played most of his professional career years in China and is considered a legend in both countries.
Waldner is the only person to ever win an Olympic table tennis gold medal representing a non-Asian country that is Sweden also including a grand slam win. He is famous for the name “Evergreen Tree” in China due to his longevity and competitiveness. He retired in 2016 but is still among the richest of the game with his everlasting impact on table tennis history. His net worth calculates up to 10 million dollars.
6. Zhang Jike
Net Worth: $10 million
Zhang Jike is one of the best players in table tennis sport. He won the 2012 London Olympics gold medal with a grand slam, doing it only the fourth time ever and the fastest in the history of table tennis. He won WTCC and World Cup in 2011 followed by the Olympic gold medal win in the 2012 London Olympics making him the fastest player ever to win a Grand Slam.
His achievements also include WTTC 2013 and World Cup 2014 win as a champion. Although, he was denied the winning amount of $45,000 from his 2014 World Cup win due to a controversial celebration. Zhang Jike is still worth up to $10 million and retired recently in 2021.
7. Timo Boll
Net Worth: $7 million
Timo Boll is a German table tennis player and is currently one of the most famous in the indoor circuit sport. He is one of the few players from Europe who had an influential impact on this Asian-dominated sport. Timo Boll has been the number 1 player in the world multiple times in 2003, 2011 and 2018.
One of the greatest table tennis players to hail from Germany, Boll plays for the club Borussia Düsseldorf and he is currently among the top 10 ITTF world rankings. His net worth adds up to 7 million dollars which is very much evident for a player of his calibre.
8. Liu Guoliang
Net Worth: $5 million
Liu Guoliang is one of the greatest of this sport who won all the major table tennis competitions in the world including the World Cup, World Championship and Olympic Games. He is the second player after Waldner to achieve three major Grand Slams.
Guoliang won two gold medals (men’s singles and men’s doubles) in the 1996 Olympics followed by the 1996 men’s singles World Cup and the 1997 World Doubles Championship wins. Liu Guoliang is a star in the table tennis fraternity and his net worth is approximately $5 million. He is also a great coach.
9. Fan Zhendong
Net Worth: $5 million
Fan Zhendong is one of the highly celebrated players due to his unique attacking playing style. Zehndong is currently the number 1 player in the ITTF world rankings. He joined the Chinese National team in 2012 as the youngest member.
Fan Zhendong became the youngest winner of the ITTF World Tour and World Table Tennis Championship achieving the top spot in both events. He is a great player with loads of fans and media attention which brings many brand deals to his table. He is worth 5 million dollars right now and has a promising career ahead to add more to his worth.
10. Wang Hao
Net Worth: $1.5 million
Wang Hao is a World Cup Champion three times in the years 2007, 2008 and 2010. He is one of the most successful table tennis players who won silver medals in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Wang Hao held the #1 position in the ITTF world rankings for a record consecutive 27 months from October 2007 to December 2009.
He achieved the top spot again in the mid of 2011. Wang Hao is an exceptionally skilled table tennis player and famous for the execution of the Reverse Penhold Back technique. He represented in the record 12 major world competitions throughout his career. He retired from professional table tennis in 2004. His net worth adds up to 1.5 million dollars.