Chinese champion serves up new chapter in Germany

When Fan Zhendong stepped into Dusseldorf's City Hall in August to sign the Golden Book, a historic ledger recording the city's distinguished guests, it felt like more than a ceremonial welcome.

Chinese fans had traveled from across Germany — and even from as far away as China — to see him, while Borussia Dusseldorf's table tennis players, coaches, and officials gathered alongside Mayor Stephan Keller to welcome one of the biggest stars of the sport.

Two days later, thousands of fans packed Mitsubishi Electric Halle for Fan's first home match in Borussia colors, turning the opening fixture of the Bundesliga season into what club officials described as "a celebration of table tennis".

For Fan, the move to the club represents another new beginning in a career already filled with major milestones.

For Borussia Dusseldorf, one of Europe's most successful table tennis clubs, it marks the arrival of its first Olympic champion. And for many watching from China and Germany, it signals something bigger — the continuing evolution of a sporting relationship that has connected the two countries for decades.

"It's my honor to be here. I'm very excited to start a new adventure," Fan said. "I will try my best to follow Timo's footsteps to build my own legacy for the club and the city."

Sporting friendship

Few players understand Borussia Dusseldorf better than Timo Boll.

The former world No 1 spent 18 years at the club before retiring last summer as one of the greats of European table tennis. His friendship with Fan played a vital part in encouraging the Chinese Olympic champion to choose Dusseldorf as the next stop in his European journey.

"The club is very professional, but also like a small family," Boll said.

He said Fan needs people he can trust while adjusting to a new environment, and that he will always be available if his friend needs his help. But Boll believes Borussia's close-knit environment will make the transition easy.

"The Borussia family will treat him like a son," he said.

The friendship between Boll and Fan grew gradually through years of competition at the highest level.

"We were opponents, but the clashes between us were always very fair and respectful," Boll said, explaining that this became the foundation for a friendship away from their sporting rivalry.

Boll has also come to know a side of Fan that is less visible when the Chinese star is competing in the international spotlight, and describes him as open-minded and curious about life, sports, and culture.

Fan follows many sports, enjoys watching live sporting events, and spending time over dinner, Boll said. Despite their age difference, their friendship developed as they spent more time together during tournaments.

Head coach Danny Heister believes that the sense of belonging Boll spoke of can help Fan perform at his best.

"When Fan feels at home and feels comfortable here, I think he can perform really well," he said. "We'll help him every day with everything we can."

For Andreas Preuss, Borussia's long-serving manager, Fan's arrival extends far beyond strengthening the team's lineup.

"We never had an Olympic champion in our team, in our club," he said.

But Preuss believes the bigger impact may be felt away from the table.

"Fan is an inspiration for many things: for business, for marketing, for media interest, for fans, for people, but also for culture exchange between Germany and China," he said.

And, after more than four decades working at the club, Preuss said Fan's arrival offers new opportunities to learn.

"I learned so much about China in the last weeks and months," he said, adding that he hoped Chinese audiences will similarly learn more about Germany.

Preuss also sees Fan's presence as an opportunity for European table tennis to reach a much wider audience, with his popularity drawing more spectators and media attention to the Bundesliga.

"Table tennis (in Europe) is like a sleeping lion," Preuss said. "It can grow."

The attention surrounding Fan demonstrates the opportunities available to European table tennis, he said, and closer exchanges with China will also offer valuable lessons.

"We can learn a lot from China. We can bring many things together, so the potential is very high," he said.