J-O. Waldner vs. Timo Boll - Athens 2004 Olympic Games (Waldner's points)

Best points of the master Waldner.
Second set, 2:10 J-O. loses 10-5 vs. Boll, 3:17 master makes the end point of the set win it 13-11, demonstrating why is the best of all time.

[@ezghthrt7733]

Waldner's appearance at the 2004 Athens Olympics is one of the classic moments in table tennis history and a prime example of his strengths. He was 38 years old, he had won everything that can be won, he was past his prime but the fire was still burning inside (he said afterwards that he was confident to win nothing but the gold medal and he also wanted to prove that the Chinese were not unbeatable). He almost did it. Before the games, Waldner was seen as a second-rate player though and nobody believed that he'd be able to put a dent into it. He hadn't beaten Ma Lin for six years and Boll for three years. Ma and Boll must've seen him as an ageing man - they used conservative tactics, hesitated at clutch moments and they all paid dearly for their mistakes as Waldner exerted pressure. In the semi-final, Waldner tried to lure Ryu into the same mistakes but Ryu was young and tough-minded. I wished that Waldner would've won at least a bronze medal. He is able to make the best of his skills and tactics whenever it counts. Young players should learn Waldner's spirit.

[@maxmustermann3876]

If you look at Bolls successes in the last couple of years that's even more amazing. As Boll was 38 he made it to world's rank 1 again. And he clearly is much much fitter than Waldner, who was very slow. And he actually did beat the top chines players at this old age.

[@albertosebastian9856]

Instablaster

[@dickn.ormous1064]

@@maxmustermann3876 the paper no1.What about his career in his 20s?He won his sole bronze medal at the WTTC at the age of 30 beating Chen Qi who was a lefty doubles specialist. Just because he has 15 years of medical advancements to treat his never ending injuries and Germany's endless financial resources it doesn't mean he is more successful than Waldner. He could never win a Slam with his soft looping style.

[@maxmustermann3876]

@@dickn.ormous1064 "Never ending injuries" "Germany's endless financial resources" Wtf are you talking about?! You clearly don't know shit.

[@dickn.ormous1064]

@@maxmustermann3876 Ever heard of the Bundesliga?It's the German League.The whole TT business in Europe centers around Germany.Foreign players have to play overseas to make ends meet which hurts the level of national leagues hence the mess of European TT and the German dominance.Germany couldn't even win the European Championship before 2007. Belarus and Denmark won it during Boll's reign...

[@emcc1641]

MA Lin at his prime; Boll close to his prime ( but froze in this match); Waldner giving a swansong display of genius against both. Younger players now watch and question what the fuss was about - surely Waldner doesn't seem that good? The answer is deception. Other top players often did not know what Waldner was doing, with spin speed or direction, until it was too late; thus their errors on even simple-looking shots (to the new generation of viewers) from the master. One of the rare few from any sport that made a game look effortlessly beautiful. Thanks for the memories.

[@Ahldor]

+Elana McClements Precisely, this was top act deception. Almost every strike he made he went with a slightly different angle and spin than usual, and that really messes up his opponents game flow. But Waldner could also win the longer rallys, he most often did actually. So he was indeed a fully fledged table tennis player.

[@thecatmeows1625]

Elana McClements And the thing is Waldner did know what the other players did. His classic no-movement blocks were possible because he anticipated where the ball would go and got there first, and of course had the touch to return it perfectly.

[@CTJM]

This was 2004, not 2000. He lost to Ryu and Wang Liqin later on in this 2004 Olympics.

[@elseberthelsen171]

Elana McClements öo

[@ronwilson464]

Elankkk

[@rosamelfierro6093]

J.O. Waldner is the table tennis G.O.A.T.

[@rosamelfierro6093]

Timo Boll is great too.

[@orangeman745]

9:28 The Swedish king. The other guy is Carl XVI Gustaf.

[@Ossissindwestpolen]

Als his German Wife

[@youngguitar9133]

I know, I’m a swede

[@KimJakab]

Orange Man: Ha ha, well pointed out :) (Looks like the others didn't understand your joke?)

[@99Age]

I just admire them... both of them! They are TT Legends and they made this sport being an art ... All TT Legends are inspiring us and they are giving us joy and passion to play ...

[@dobadobado1994]

JO doesn´t only smash, like the chinese guys, he also kid his opponents with small balls and chops. He´s definitly the best in table tennis history.

[@PrinceArt77]

at 6:35 timo just couldn't hide his depression anymore...waldner just have this extremely tricky spins on his serves and returns.... 1. great server 2. smart backhands 3. superb ball placements 4. fast reflexes (for his age) 5. extreme accuracy with loops and drives 6. great blocking and defense 7. A true gentleman of the sport 8. Simply the Best package 9. All Time Best 10....MY IDOL......hehe...peace yah all guys!

[@andymcneil7085]

The man is a legend and one of my heroes.

[@spaceinvader384]

Apart from superb basic skills, Waldner's tactics and setup's are the best, pure talent. It took the Chinese a lot of time to dissect and analyze his game before they could get even or close. Hope we could have a rare genius like this from time to time.

[@nicklasandersson5606]

They never got him,it was aging who finally stopped Waldner,not the chinese.

[@madrilenho]

6:59, Waldner's evil smile

[@granit88]

He's like "atleast you tried" xD

[@madrilenho]

Erik Hedbäck Absolutely!

[@zim-chan]

"Nice try bro"

[@screenosaurus]

He also shakes it off realising he shouldn't be seen on camera with that smile after the point LOL

[@EnzitoTDM]

Este video me lo mostró mi primer profesor de tenis de mesa allá por el 2012 hoy 10 años después lo sigo mirando y disfrutando de la misma manera

[@AdamBobrow]

Their table tennis history is pretty rich... Stellan Bengtsson and of course Jorgen Persson to name a few. Together, Waldner and Persson were a HUGE factor in beating the Chinese as the top team in the world. As far as current players... well, they have a few strong players.. but not in the world top 50 and Persson... is their 2nd highest ranked player STILL!!! So the near future of Sweden... well... won't be quite as strong as it was in the 80's and 90's. 8>)

[@andreaseriksson8803]

Don't forget Appelgren. He's the reason J-O got to the top.

[@AdamBobrow]

@@andreaseriksson8803 Yes. Appelgren as well. 8>)

[@boastfultoast]

Thanks for the videos and content. Your energy and attitude has gotten me back into the game after a 10 yr break and is one of the better decisions I’ve made. Glad you are a part of the community. If you’re ever near Boise, Idaho I hope to play a game with you sometime

[@l4mbo-games174]

hehe, this comment didnt age well ;) falck runner up wttc 2019 and truls 2021. doubles gold 2021. depends though what you mean with "near future" :D

[@Zakarias89]

Sweden is back!

[@Pewpshmear]

at first, i thought "wow, timo boll used to suck." but then i realized that every single point shown was waldner's . and then i realized that this was more of a tribute to waldner than a game highlights.

[@niklastorshagen6365]

J-O Waldner, The Mozart and The Ever Green Tree

[@grigoriykarabaza649]

Это просто шедеврально, Вальднер ты легенда!

[@madrilenho]

THANK YOU, MASTER WALDNER!

[@sanoj1969]

Legend 🇸🇪

[@GenghisKhanPolitics]

Waldner - The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be

[@nik7bkh965]

Golden Boy after boll ofcourse

[@thecatmeows1625]

Nik 420 Haha. Nice joke.

[@prod.championriceboi3696]

in your dreams, maybe.

[@MrRazorblade999]

@@prod.championriceboi3696 Att his prime Waldner would probably beat Ma Long.

[@noahjackson4185]

@@MrRazorblade999 now you're delusional. Waldner may be the Mozart but ma long is just pure dictation over the table. No one can beat ma long when he's in form

[@dangvang1]

Waldner is the BEST OF THE BEST !!!! Timo is really confused .. He seems to be a newbie in this Match ... WOW

[@xssamaxila]

J-O. Waldner is Roger Federer in tennis!

[@kuchikibyakuya7697]

Ma long can destroy him essily

[@bohrora2293]

@@kuchikibyakuya7697 Ma is just a well trained robot. All mechanics no substance. Glad I stopped playing before tt got destroyed.

[@lepoldbuttersstotch]

@@bohrora2293 what does you stopping playing TT have to do with anything? Not like you were ever going to challenge your Sunday league's best, let alone China's best

[@bohrora2293]

@@lepoldbuttersstotch The Chinese turned TT into something else. To use an analogy, no football fan ever looked at Futsal and was in awe. Good luck to them perfecting their human algos. China have many "best" and zero "greates"

[@user-ry8kr8vg7k]

Trent Boult Fuck China and their China virus. China is a pig cage.

[@user-rc6nw9qq9d]

１００年に１人の天才というのは決して過大評価ではない。

[@TyRafferty]

@ultramuffin99 read this: Uploaded by Reno070 on Jul 30, 2009 Best points of the master Waldner. Second set, 2:10 J-O. loses 10-5 vs. Boll, 3:17 master makes the end point of the set win it 13-11, demonstrating why is the best of all time. Category: Sports Tags: Waldner License: Standard KZbin License

[@melvintorres9254]

walder looks like jame hetfield of metallica

[@AdamBobrow]

My pleasure! Happy to help! 8>D

[@zang1983]

5:30 good luck returning that ball lol

[@taoismk8321]

Haha heavy side spin on it 😂

[@dickn.ormous1064]

​@Stabil Timo Boll and smash doesn't mix.

[@gilekopi7296]

Trick. Shot

[@RedArrow2007]

J=O Waldner, one of the greatest table tennis players of all time!

[@DrMcKay66]

THE greatest TT player of all times if i may say.

[@ashaazimroz9775]

@@DrMcKay66 Ma Long and Ma Lin are easily better than him. Waldner is awesome but China still dominates.

[@DrMcKay66]

@@ashaazimroz9775 Depends on how to see it. Compared to how many active players in each country JO was still better at that time but as player to player they were maby slightly better then him still.

[@masterspin7796]

Waldner was really showing some power with those backhand shots...

[@qomarqomarudin7307]

two outstanding players .. great respect to both of them though different generation separates them at their prime

[@flagella1337]

8:01, "Yesssssssssssss! Wait what, I deserve more credit."

[@azertyqwerty4528]

A 39 ans faire les J.O, chapeau l'artiste!

[@shabahatali7619]

waldner was shear talent.his backhand was awesome.only person to threaten chinese

[@n0mi89]

*threaten and dominate

[@realman444]

You did not hear the hungarian Klampar?

[@andreialexandruparfeni7129]

realman Klampar was not a threat. Klampar-0 WTTC medals Waldner-6 WTTC medals In the modern era (since 1965), Hungarians only have 1 gold in men's singles tournaments, while Sweden has 4. Hungary-1 WTTC teams gold medal (1979) and 1 WTTC teams silver medal (1981) Sweden-5 WTTC teams gold medals (1973, 1989, 1991, 1993, 2000), 4 WTTC teams silver medals (1983, 1985, 1987, 1995), 4 WTTC teams bronze medals (1967, 1975, 1977, 2001).

[@tomspice73]

shabahat ali You are aware that Boll and Samsonov have been in the top 10 for 16 and 22 years, right? Boll is number 3 currently.

[@nicklasandersson5606]

How many wttc and olympic gold has Boll and Samsonov taken to stop the chinese?

[@ianmurphy5975]

will always be the GOAT in my eyes

[@washnery]

Jan Ove Waldner simply the best!

[@GenghisKhanPolitics]

I'm so glad I got to shake hands and take a picture with Waldner when he was in his prime

[@Vallavanat]

Golden Boy lol you post the same thing everywhere

[@fotolumy2973]

Alguien sabe como se llama el Sueco que dirige a Waldner en ese Partido y durante todos los Juegos Olimpicos?

[@spaceinvader384]

Waldner's got the reach, effective block and very capable to counter serves to his favour. Timo is clearly off form while Waldner's exceptional in this match. But could see Timo improved a lot over the last 10 years, playing against top Chinese players.

[@dickn.ormous1064]

The Chinese don't play Boll like Waldner did so his experience is irrelevant.Go watch him play against Moregard,he has the exact same problems as he did with Waldner 20 years ago. His slow loops get punch blocked to wide angles and he can't keep on the serve-recieve.One would say it's his age but again he got kicked by On Sang Eun in his prime with the exact same tactics.The Chinese just aren't that good against lefties compared to their general level.

[@tanche28]

Both great players

[@brunoklintman3593]

Proud to be a Swede 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

[@robertod893]

In 2003 I was a dealer in a casino. One night shift the Chinese men’s team were playing Baccarat. I remember asking them about Waldner’s chances in the upcoming Olympics and their reply: “too old”

[@user-zp4mm7ry2s]

スウェーデン国王も観戦しにきてるやん

[@andrewmcneil2110]

What a fabulous player.

[@kennykarlsson920]

What a legend.

[@liebestraumer]

and the complete game where is it?

[@rasheedelakhlaqsiz4753]

Waldner had a lot of control and directed his shot and returns at will I think today's game is just a little faster, not sure if Waldner would have been so dominant at today's speeds.

[@edwardshowden5511]

Thats totally true. He had great control and good tactics. Timo style is easy to read. My favourite match from 04 was timo-schlager 4:3 🙉

[@alessandrofini1394]

I think how many good players with 40mm ball would be able to play with 38 and if they were so good. I'm 56 I started with 38 I know what I'm saying. Waldner is the best players of all time

[@TyRafferty]

@davvidd19 Where is the description?

[@TableTennisTT]

Great quality, Yeah JO Sweden for life :)

[@PrinceArt77]

ohh yeahh! Waldner is simply the Best...the best all-around TT player.....his backhands are the most accurate, consistent, and the trickiest i have ever seen...well, not as powerful as those of Kreanga's but definitely amongst the greatest.....his serves are spinny, quite hard to counter....and his loops....and ball placements.....define his GREATNESS......The Greatest Table Tennis of all Times......Waldner........peace yah all guys!

[@HandsomeCookiemaker]

love how the play ABBA in the ending of the game LOL

[@zodinlianiatyi3281]

Woah!! 7years ago im from the future in 2019 lol please reply me if youre still alive lol..!!!!

[@Jonixx95]

@@zodinlianiatyi3281 he's probably dead... XD I come from 2020 it's pandemic in all world please help me... Waldner is a beast, as a kid I won a lot of table tennis tournaments, I had potencial and love the game so much, there's some type of meditation state when you really into it

[@user-sf8db4el9t]

Король наст.тенниса!Супер!!!

[@MyStefan72]

wenn man sich den Zusammenschnitt anschaut muss man zu dem Schluss kommen, das Waldi alle Sätze zu 0 gewonnen hätte. Warum fehlen Ballwechselszenen mit den Punkten für Timo?

[@Morgarth]

@Nootson08 the song is from ABBA...and they are from sweden...

[@prattle128]

how long would a match like this take? an hour or so?

[@jmlainez]

Man, Waldner must have been frustrating to play with! Not being able to anticipate what's coming next. You can see Timo getting frustrated from not being able to hit back simple service returns.

[@TyRafferty]

@canuckdia It means my feeling was right. You should really read more if you can't figure out what the description means.

[@julianmirasalazar7331]

waldener es él mejor jugador de la historia

[@MRDOA66]

The great maestro Jan Ove Waldner of Table Tennis

[@slow_blueberry3]

@TyRafferty Best points of the master Waldner. I wonder what that description means

[@andymcneil7085]

So good at seeing the gaps as they opened.

[@J040Z1NH0]

the ball has to cross the table on the service?

[@ollebengtsson5320]

This is remarkable! I assumed he would retire after they changed the ball size at the age of 37 for Waldner. I completely new sport basically! Instead at the age of 40 he beats all the upcoming stars of the world to reach the Olympic final! That alone makes him the master of masters!

[@norbertwiesner569]

Surely, JO Waldner was a genius in table tennis. But in 2004 he didn't reach the Olympic Final, at the end "only" Number 4 without a medal.

[@ShaTenniPo]

Legends!

[@Longshot32]

there is no other greater victory music than Dancing Queen

[@zubinbharucha6686]

Only man which all chinese players always feared. When he is in the zone, the chinese knew no one could stop him! One of the all time greats!

[@luisgutierrez-ze1zi]

Waldner es el estilista y demoledor del tenis de mesa..cada golpe y bloqueo era del terror...su saque quizá el mejor de la historia confundia a todos con sus variantes...quizá uno de los mejores de la historia...

[@utuber8781]

@davvidd19 The title is misleading.

[@wowmogge]

4:57 " Because i'm female"

[@IchsanDarmawan]

Wow Amazing skill

[@konichiwa4339]

genius って言葉が1番似合う卓球選手

[@Laurents75]

juste le meilleur joueur de tout les temps

[@snailpower1890]

To me waldner' match against Timo boll is the very definition of consistency in table tennis

[@wangpunkpunk4760]

an artist in teble tennis, he let the people see the beauty of this sport.

[@kaidong2706]

In this game, Timo played his B game or C game. Waldner played his A game or A+ game.

[@jobro7044]

You must be kidding. If both of them were at their best, waldner would crush boll

[@andreialexandruparfeni7129]

You're right, but Waldner was already 40. Waldner played his A game considering his age. Of course he could have played much better in his prime.

[@ZalzZe]

Waldner is 16 years older than timo 😂 40 at this game

[@robinkjellberg6796]

A washed Waldner is still dominating Timo Boll in this video. What are you talking about? 😂

[@dickn.ormous1064]

Boll the one trick pony.What's his A game?Hitting even slower loops?

[@shirokisasaki3233]

Oh I suddenly rememebered why I had a huge crush on Timo boll When I was a kid, he looked so FINE here

[@user-bs7xx1rg2i]

J.O.Waldner для меня самый крутой,леганда настольного тенниса👍

[@MisterLiBRiUMz]

Very much so!

[@eguken18]

強すぎ！！ カッコよすぎます cool

[@KohchanNightcore]

私の憧れの選手はワルドナーさん。彼のようなプレイが出来るよう、１週間に一回は必ず動画を見て研究しています。

[@philippcausd]

why only Waldners points?

[@der_pabst866]

5:08 wtf is that person in the crowd doing?

[@neilclark8087]

China dominate world TT since 20 years, but even the best chinese players dont have the magic, charisma and natural born talent than J.O.W, the poker face. I guess he was born with a TT bat. True legend

[@PrinceArt77]

@QuantumStates the description says "Best points of the master Waldner"

[@Youda00008]

Why only Valdner points?? This so ruins the video.

[@rosamelfierro6093]

Because J.O. Waldner is the G.O.A.T. Timo Boll is also great. There are some videos of Timo if you prefer to watch.

[@LePingouin92]

Yeah like the other day I was watching Nadal best clay wins and guess what no track of Federer slams wins!! These people, the nerve

[@dickn.ormous1064]

Boll scored like 5 winners and 3 unreturned serves in the whole match.He rarely goes for his shots, mostly tries to draw errors with his slow loops.Rather unremarkable style compared to Waldi.

[@MisterLiBRiUMz]

Timo is an excellent player, however, Waldner recognized his weaknesses and played them to his advantage. Notice most the Waldner's points are on Timo's backhand!

[@Stormy177]

Often close to his body on the backhand, too - Boll's weakness had definitely been identified, and Waldner exploited it to the fullest.

[@katgodd1196]

3:04 jonas sjöstedt är det du?

[@GUOJUMI]

where is Waldner now?

[@XLoaferY]

@Jayakiran1 afaik, it's his trainer/coach

[@user-gc3hu6vj1u]

나의우상 발트너 ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[@Poseidon99Jeus]

For sure he's the mozart of table tennis

[@ShamyTV5k]

waldner is that was sampras is to tennis: A Master!

[@pukulu]

Waldner made a bunch of great shots.

[@Linkinhol8]

Esse vídeo ai num timo boll e Waldner naum ai so mostra waldner o nome era pra tributo a j. o. waldner

[@soccerfish8]

Nevermind didn't read the description... Just figured that since the title described a match, it would show both sides rather than all the points from one player.

[@ultimatum8517]

It says in the description...

[@user-ys8dk3bk4d]

卓球界の永遠のスターだと思う！

[@Alaoooo1]

@TyRafferty Click on the "show more" under the video and read it

[@TheYu87]

great points from WALDNER

[@johnodonnell9306]

Do you ever see boll win a point very 1sided way of showing the great JO Waldner

[@RodrigoAlves007]

Quero ganhar desse cara um dia!!

[@vicsetyono8547]

Both are legends

[@dickn.ormous1064]

Waldner is legend,Boll didn't win anything.And don't tell me about the Chinese 'cause if Waldner was lefthanded like Boll he would have won at least 5 WTTC.Imagine Waldner's forehand hook going to the backhand of penholders.That would be massacre.

[@brahms008]

Unbelievable !

[@AntoniaZhang]

waldner's coach looks younger than him...