Fan Zhendong switched to the Bundesliga, a decision that shocked some Taipei players who played in the Bundesliga

German club Saarbruggen (1. FC Saarbrücken TT) announced in the early morning of the 1st Beijing time that Fan Zhendong, a national table tennis star who won the men's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics last year, will officially join in the 2025-2026 season to participate in the German Table Tennis League and the UEFA Champions League.

Fan Zhendong, the gold medalist in Paris, will move to the German First Division

Former world champion Fan Zhendong did not participate in international competitions after winning gold at the Paris Olympics, and announced his withdrawal from the world ranking at the end of last year, during which he only participated in the Chinese Table Tennis Super League. The city of Saarbrugen has a special significance for Fan Zhendong, who won his first World Cup title in 2016, and this return is also seen as a symbolic choice to "return to zero and start again".

Gao Chengrui, a Chinese Taipei player who is currently playing for Fulda-Maberzel in the Bundesliga, also expressed surprise that Fan Zhendong had not played against Fan Zhendong in the international competition before, and he was also full of expectations for the opportunity to face the "Grand Slam" winner in the Bundesliga.

Chinese Taipei pair Lin Yunru/Gao Chengrui (right), who won silver in the men's doubles at the 2025 World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, rushed to the world ranking No. 4 after only two matches.

Another Chinese Taipei teenager Feng Yixin, who played the first singles in the Bundesliga Grenzo Suspension Bridge, also exclaimed when he heard the news that Fan Zhendong was going to play in the Bundesliga: "Incredible!" However, he also laughed at Grenzo's bottom record last season, and if Salbrugen met them, Fan Zhendong should not need to come out in person!

Saarbrugen also has the men's singles world No. 10 Slovenian star Jokic and the world No. 14 German player Francesca, who are also deeply powerful. The new Bundesliga season will kick off at the end of August this year.