"I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post."
Timo Boll is a German professional table tennis player, who currently plays for Borussia Düsseldorf. He ranks among the best German table tennis players of all time, having ranked world No. 1 in 2003, 2011, and in March 2018.
Timo Boll Information
- Nationality: German
- Born: 8 March 1981, Erbach, Hessen, West Germany
- Playing-style: Left-handed, shakehand grip
- Highest Ranking: #1
- Height: 5ft 11in
- Weight: 163 lbs
Timo Boll Playing style
Timo Boll is a left-handed player whose best weapon is his forehand topspin drive but is also noted for his extremely quick backhand loop. His blade is the Timo Boll ALC with Dignics 09c rubbers on both sides. His present doubles partner is Patrick Franziska.
Boll’s technique was ahead of its time as he was one of the first two-winged loopers. He employs the spin-block instead of a passive block to put more pressure on his opponents. He is renowned for being one of the top players when it comes to generating elevated amounts of spin, especially in his opening topspin.
This is rendered possible by his low stance, quick acceleration, and use of the wrist. This technique brought him a lot of success due to his opponents being put under pressure during the celluloid ball era. In recent years, due to the introduction of the plastic ball, which cannot be imparted with as much spin, Boll relies more on his counter-topspin technique from both the backhand and forehand side.
A good example of him employing this technique is his match against Fan Zhendong at the Austrian Open in 2019, in which he reached the deciding set against the 16 years younger World No. 1. This technique allows him to conserve energy but requires very good anticipation and reading of the opponent.
Timo Boll Highlights
Timo Boll’s Titles
Games | Event | Winner | Year |
World Cup | Single | 2-times | 2002, 2005 |
European Champion | Single | 7-times | 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018 |
European Champion | Team | 7-times | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2019 |
Europe Top-16 | Single | 7-times | 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2018, 2020 |
European Super Cup | Single | 3-times | 2007, 2008 and 2009 |
German Championship | Single | 11-times | 1998, 2001–2007, 2009, 2015, 2017 |
Timo Boll Equipment
- Blade: Butterfly Timo Boll ALC
- Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09C
- Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 05
Ping Pong Start is a table tennis affiliate site, we choose top picks table tennis equipment: tables, paddle, blade, robots, balls.. help you have an understanding before you start buying something
We are in associate programs from Amazon and may earn advertising fees when you use our links to these websites. These fees will not increase your purchase price, which will be the same as any direct visitor to Amazon.com.