“Fun times” in table tennis
Möregårdh is one of many faces now challenging the People’s Republic of China’s traditional grip on men’s singles table tennis.
While the 23-year-old lost to Fan Zhendong in both his major finals at the 2021 World Championships and at Paris 2024, Fan has since stepped back from international competition.
The two recently caught up with each other when Möregårdh visited Beijing, having dinner together exactly one year after their meeting in the Paris final.
“For sure it’s nice to not have Fan Zhendong here for everyone,” Möregårdh joked when asked about it in Doha back in May.
“He’s played so good in the Worlds and won the Olympics who I’ve lost to in big matches. He deserves a break, he’s such a good guy as well and I still feel that he’s a perfect ambassador for the sport in many ways.”
Möregårdh and France’s Félix and Alexis Lebrun have growing fanbases inside China — something that hasn’t escaped the Swede’s attention.
“Obviously China is the main thing for table tennis which I’m super grateful for, a perfect country for table tennis and the fans are just exceptional so I’m always very happy to be there,” Möregårdh said.
“But I’m very happy that Europe is taking a big step in this sport. It’s fun that we can bring some action. Me and the Lebrun brothers are playing really good as well.
“And Hugo (Calderano) won the World Cup,” he added of the Brazilian world number three who staged a stunning upset in April to become the first non-Asian or non-European winner of that tournament. “Hopefully, the fans enjoy that we are challenging them a bit.
“It’s very fun in this sport right now. Fun times.”