GGOATRANK

GOAT Rank · 32

Greatest Table Tennis Players who debuted in the 1980s

This ranking is led by Jan-Ove Waldner, Deng Yaping and Wang Tao. GOAT Rank currently ranks 32 eligible Table Tennis players who debuted in the 1980s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Jan-Ove Waldner ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 94.1.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →
#AthleteGOAT Score
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1988–1997
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
97.0
Dominance
97.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
94.0
Longevity
74.0
Athlete: Deng Yaping
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1989–1999
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
94.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: Wang Tao
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1986–2001
Country
🇹🇼 Chinese Taipei
Peak
94.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Chen Jing
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1983–active
Country
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
Peak
88.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
96.0
Athlete: Ni Xialian
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1986–1997
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
76.0
Athlete: Qiao Hong
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1980–1987
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
70.0
Athlete: Cao Yanhua
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1985–1996
Country
🇰🇷 South Korea
Peak
92.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
82.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: Yoo Nam-kyu
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1988–1997
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
76.0
Athlete: Ma Wenge
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1987–1993
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
92.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
70.0
Athlete: Tong Ling
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1983–1994
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
92.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
82.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
74.0
Athlete: He Zhili
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1988–2004
Country
🇰🇷 South Korea
Peak
88.0
Dominance
78.0
Statistics
80.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Kim Taek-soo
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1983–active
Country
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
Peak
84.0
Dominance
74.0
Statistics
78.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
98.0
Athlete: Ni Xia Lian
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1983–1992
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
90.0
Dominance
78.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
70.0
Athlete: Chen Zhibin
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1982–1996
Country
🇸🇪 Sweden
Peak
86.0
Dominance
74.0
Statistics
78.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
80.0
Athlete: Erik Lindh
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1984–2018
Country
🇪🇸 Spain
Peak
80.0
Dominance
70.0
Statistics
78.0
Honours
74.0
Longevity
92.0
Athlete: He Zhiwen
Sport
Table Tennis
Career
1988–2012
Country
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
Peak
80.0
Dominance
70.0
Statistics
78.0
Honours
72.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Petr Korbel

Compare the leaders

Jan-Ove Waldner vs Deng Yaping

Read the full methodology

Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.

Read the full methodology

Frequently asked questions

How is this ranking calculated?

Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Who is included?

According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.

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