Many players, even at the top, are driven by the ego to outplay the opponent on speed regardless the level. A few outstanding tacticians like Ma Long can quickly dissect/analyze then select which way to counter. Guess that's the difference between ultra high level and top level players. It's why Ma Long' still winning at 35. Not ultra fast, powerful or fancy but consistent, cool, perceptive and tactical. Took me many years to follow then understand. After all, table tennis is NOT just exciting/demanding but much more complicated than most people see/think.