At age 35, Ma Long still is the most consistent and reliable player against non-Chinese players. This is definitely not a norm that Chinese coaching staff still have to put him as one of 3 Olympic candidates. By the way he is playing, he might be the best hope to ensure the gold remains in the Chinese hands. Ma Long is just special. GOAT, no doubt about it.
If you don't see/learn/realize, you're not a serious player. Every serve, return, counter has a reason to win/lose. These players are so technical/well trained/super-fast/ultra-responsive. The ball is only 2.7gm but can spin up to thousands revolutions/minute and/or shooting up to 70 km/hr speed across a few metres distance. Have to play it with capable combination of rubber and racket to realize it. Study spin variations is the key of the game.
