(Photo: www.southcn.com)

In the last eight years of his 20-year-long fight against China's dominance in the sport, Waldner had many times misled us to believe that he was aging and on the verge of quitting before he won big again.
After snatching crucial two points in Sweden's 2-3 team final loss to China in the 1995 world championship, the Swede was ousted by Canadian oldie Johnny Huang in the singles quarterfinals at the 1996 Olympic Games. He won the singles crown at the 1997 world championship but lost to 19-year-old Chinese Ma Lin in the 1999 semifinals.
He returned to a convincing semifinal victory over talented Chinese Liu Guoliang in the 2000 Olympic Games and stretched in-form Chinese Kong Linghui to five sets before losing the final.
In the 2001 world championship, Waldner was crushed in straight sets by Belarus' Vladimir Samsonov and shut out of the doubles top 16.
At the 2003 championship in Paris, Waldner joined the first round casualties, losing to a player ranked outside world top 100, and didn't make it to the doubles top 32 either.
It was widely believed then that the sport's wisest man was all done and bid in all probability bid adieu.
But apparently it was not time yet.
Understandably, Chinese head coach Cai Zhenhua is all praise for the Swedish veteran.
"To Waldner, table tennis is a profession. Even when he is out of form, he would rather lose in a spectacle than win a boring game," said Cai.
"Unlike Chinese players, who tend to choke under pressure and play conservative games in clutch moments, Waldner is daring and able to change tactics as situations change.
"No other Europeans or Chinese, including Liu Guoliang (cleverest among all the Chinese in the eyes of Cai) can match Waldner in composure, adaptability and tactics-consciousness.
"Onlookers see most clearly when participants seem to be at a loss - so goes a Chinese idiom. But Waldner, as a participant, sees things as clearly as any onlookers and can take advantage of his opponents' weaknesses.
Simply put: he's awesome.''
Says, Liu Guoliang, of his long-time adversary: "Sometimes you feel Waldner is light-hearted and doesn't care about the result. You are wrong.
"It's his style. His style is constantly changing until his opponent gets lost."
Waldner sat out the world team championship in Doha in March, 2004, after he picked up injuries in training. Pundits drew a wrong conclusion again that he was no longer a force to reckon at the age of 39.
Several months later at the Athens Olympics, Waldner proved the world wrong again. On August 18, 2004, Waldner dealt two heavy blows to the all-mighty Chinese team which had swept all the titles in the previous two Olympics.
He and Jorgen Persson combined to oust pre-Games favorites Kong Linghui and Wang Hao 4-1 in the doubles. Seven hours later, Waldner played an unusually aggressive game to edge out China's second seed Ma Lin in the singles.
The Swede's fifth Olympics was wrapped up on August 23 when he lost the singles bronze medal to China's Wang Liqin.
The result mattered to Wang, but not to Waldner or the over 500 Swedish spectators that included Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
Waldner received a standing ovation after the game and he returned the favor by throwing his T-shirts to his supporters.
"It was really touching," recalled Kong Linghui, who watched the bronze medal playoff. "I applauded with the other spectators to show my respect to the legendary table tennis player of all times."