Who is the greatest Table Tennis Athlete of all time?

Ma Long leads Table Tennis with a verified GOAT Score of 97.3/100.

How is the Table Tennis GOAT ranking calculated?

Five verified categories are weighted against 289 reference records. Only eligible profiles receive a score.

How many Table Tennis players are ranked?

177 eligible Table Tennis athletes currently have a published GOAT Score, from 289 reference records.

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Table tennis: the greatest of all time

GOAT Rank's data-driven ranking

Olympic and World titles plus months at world No. 1 in the deepest fields. Each players below is scored on verified career data and normalised against the full Table tennis reference cohort — no shortlists, no unverified provisional numbers.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Ma Long is the highest-ranked of the players in Table tennis, with an in-sport GOAT Score of 97.3. Next are Jan-Ove Waldner (94.1), Viktor Barna (93.6).

How the GOAT Score is calculated →

112 records fall below the data threshold and are excluded from this ranking. Eligibility rules →

Showing 177 of 177 ranked players# = official in-sport rank

Category

StyleCountryEraStatusSort

#	Athlete	Era	Olympic golds	World singles titles	World Cup titles	Olympic medals	Months at world No. 1	GOAT
1	🇨🇳Ma LongActive	2006–present	6	3	3	6	64	97.3
2	🇸🇪Jan-Ove WaldnerRetired	1980–2016	1	2	1	2	—	94.1
3	🇭🇺Viktor BarnaRetired	1929–1954	—	5	—	—	—	93.6
4	🇨🇳Deng YapingRetired	1988–1997	4	—	2	—	—	91.4
5	🇨🇳Ding NingRetired	2005–2021	3	3	2	—	—	89.7
6	🇨🇳Fan ZhendongActive	2012–present	3	2	3	4	55	88.5
7	🇨🇳Wang TaoRetired	1989–1999	—	—	1	—	—	87.4
8	🇨🇳Guo YanRetired	2001–2012	—	—	1	—	—	87.4
9	🇹🇼Chen JingRetired	1986–2001	1	—	—	3	—	87.0
10	🇨🇳Guo YuehuaRetired	1977–1985	—	—	2	—	—	86.5
11	🇨🇳Ma LinRetired	1998–2013	3	—	4	—	—	86.4
12	🇨🇳Cai ZhenhuaRetired	1979–1989	—	—	—	—	—	86.3
13	🇱🇺Ni XialianActive	1983–present	—	—	—	—	—	86.2
14	🇸🇬Feng TianweiActive	2005–present	—	—	—	3	—	85.6
15	🇬🇷Kalinikos KreangaRetired	1990–2016	—	—	—	—	—	85.6
16	🇷🇴Otilia BădescuRetired	1986–2008	—	—	—	—	—	85.3
17	🇨🇳Qiao HongRetired	1986–1997	—	—	—	4	—	85.2
18	🇳🇱Li JieRetired	2000–2021	—	—	—	—	—	85.2
19	🇨🇳Chen QiRetired	1999–2013	2	—	—	—	—	85.1
20	🇧🇪Jean-Michel SaiveRetired	1986–2014	—	—	—	—	—	85.0
21	🇭🇷Zoran PrimoracRetired	1985–2012	—	—	2	—	—	85.0
22	🇯🇵Jun MizutaniRetired	2003–2021	1	—	—	3	—	84.9
23	🇷🇴Daniela Dodean MonteiroActive	2003–present	—	—	—	—	—	84.9
24	🇸🇪Kristian KarlssonActive	2008–present	—	—	—	—	—	84.8
25	🇸🇬Yu MengyuRetired	2008–2021	—	—	—	—	—	84.8
26	🇰🇷Ryu Seung-minRetired	1999–2014	1	—	—	3	—	84.7
27	🇦🇹Werner SchlagerRetired	1990–2015	—	—	—	—	—	84.6
28	🇰🇷Joo Se-hyukRetired	1998–2020	—	—	—	—	—	84.6
29	🇦🇲Elmira AntonyanRetired	1968–1979	—	—	—	—	—	84.6
30	🇨🇳Jiang JialiangRetired	1982–1990	—	—	—	—	—	84.5
31	🇭🇷Tamara BorošRetired	1993–2012	—	—	—	—	—	84.5
32	🇭🇺István JónyerRetired	1969–1983	—	—	—	—	—	84.4
33	🇨🇳Chen LongcanRetired	1984–1991	—	—	—	—	—	84.3
34	🇰🇷Yang Young-jaRetired	1983–1990	—	—	—	—	—	84.3
35	🇨🇳Zhuang ZedongRetired	1959–1972	—	3	—	—	—	84.2
36	🇰🇵Cha Hyo-simActive	2014–present	—	—	—	—	—	84.2
37	🇨🇳Cao YanhuaRetired	1980–1987	—	—	1	—	—	84.1
38	🇭🇺István BorosRetired	1975–1988	—	—	—	—	—	84.1
39	🇰🇷Yoo Nam-kyuRetired	1985–1996	—	—	—	3	—	84.0
40	🇫🇷Jean-Philippe GatienRetired	1985–2000	—	—	1	1	—	83.9
41	🇨🇳Ma WengeRetired	1988–1997	—	—	—	—	—	83.8
42	🇬🇧Percival BromfieldRetired	1926–1935	—	—	—	—	—	83.8
43	🇳🇱Li JiaoRetired	1996–2020	—	—	—	—	—	83.7
44	🇷🇺Anatoly AmelinRetired	1962–1974	—	—	—	—	—	83.7
45	🇰🇷Kim Kyung-ahRetired	1995–2012	—	—	—	1	—	83.6
46	🇬🇧Pinkie BarnesRetired	1933–1951	—	—	—	—	—	83.6
47	🇧🇷Gustavo TsuboiActive	2003–present	—	—	—	—	—	83.6
48	🇺🇸Lily ZhangActive	2010–present	—	—	—	—	—	83.6
49	🇭🇷Žarko DolinarRetired	1946–1957	—	—	—	—	—	83.4
50	🇧🇾Viktoria PavlovichRetired	1996–2016	—	—	—	—	—	83.3

1–50 of 177 athletes

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Compare top two: Ma Long vs Waldner

Top 10 Table Tennis players of all time

The ten highest verified GOAT Scores across every era.

1🇨🇳Ma Long2006–present97.3
2🇸🇪Jan-Ove Waldner1980–201694.1
3🇭🇺Viktor Barna1929–195493.6
4🇨🇳Deng Yaping1988–199791.4
5🇨🇳Ding Ning2005–202189.7
6🇨🇳Fan Zhendong2012–present88.5
7🇨🇳Wang Tao1989–199987.4
8🇨🇳Guo Yan2001–201287.4
9🇹🇼Chen Jing1986–200187.0
10🇨🇳Guo Yuehua1977–198586.5

By position

Two-winged attack

1🇨🇳Ma Long2006–present97.3
2🇨🇳Ding Ning2005–202189.7
3🇨🇳Fan Zhendong2012–present88.5

All-round

1🇸🇪Jan-Ove Waldner1980–201694.1
2🇭🇺Viktor Barna1929–195493.6
3🇭🇷Žarko Dolinar1946–195783.4

Attacker

1🇨🇳Wang Tao1989–199987.4
2🇨🇳Guo Yan2001–201287.4
3🇷🇴Otilia Bădescu1986–200885.3
4🇭🇷Tamara Boroš1993–201284.5
5🇨🇳Chen Longcan1984–199184.3

Singles

1🇹🇼Chen Jing1986–200187.0
2🇨🇳Guo Yuehua1977–198586.5
3🇧🇪Jean-Michel Saive1986–201485.0
4🇭🇷Zoran Primorac1985–201285.0
5🇰🇷Joo Se-hyuk1998–202084.6

Left-handed attacker

1🇨🇳Cai Zhenhua1979–198986.3
2🇨🇳Wang Chuqin2016–present79.1

Table tennis

1🇱🇺Ni Xialian1983–present86.2
2🇯🇵Jun Mizutani2003–202184.9
3🇰🇷Ryu Seung-min1999–201484.7
4🇦🇹Werner Schlager1990–201584.6
5🇫🇷Jean-Philippe Gatien1985–200083.9

Shakehand attacker

1🇸🇬Feng Tianwei2005–present85.6
2🇨🇳Chen Qi1999–201385.1
3🇩🇪Patrick Franziska2009–present81.1
4🇰🇷Dang Ye-seo2002–201680.3
5🇭🇰Doo Hoi Kem2012–present79.9

Singles / doubles

1🇨🇳Qiao Hong1986–199785.2
2🇨🇳Li Ju1995–200481.9
3🇨🇳Chen Xingtong2014–present78.3

By country

China

1🇨🇳Ma Long2006–present97.3
2🇨🇳Deng Yaping1988–199791.4
3🇨🇳Ding Ning2005–202189.7
4🇨🇳Fan Zhendong2012–present88.5
5🇨🇳Wang Tao1989–199987.4

Sweden

1🇸🇪Jan-Ove Waldner1980–201694.1
2🇸🇪Kristian Karlsson2008–present84.8
3🇸🇪Stellan Bengtsson1968–198582.8
4🇸🇪Matilda Ekholm2001–202182.8
5🇸🇪Tage Flisberg1946–195882.5

Hungary

1🇭🇺Viktor Barna1929–195493.6
2🇭🇺István Jónyer1969–198384.4
3🇭🇺István Boros1975–198884.1
4🇭🇺Zoltán Bubonyi1977–199083.2
5🇭🇺Csilla Bátorfi1984–200882.0

Chinese Taipei

1🇹🇼Chen Jing1986–200187.0
2🇹🇼Chuang Chih-yuan2000–present80.0
3🇹🇼Chen Chien-an2008–present78.7
4🇹🇼Chen Szu-yu2008–present78.1
5🇹🇼Cheng I-ching2008–present76.8

Luxembourg

1🇱🇺Ni Xialian1983–present86.2
2🇱🇺Ni Xia Lian1983–present82.6
3🇱🇺Sarah De Nutte2008–present81.9

Singapore

1🇸🇬Feng Tianwei2005–present85.6
2🇸🇬Yu Mengyu2008–202184.8

Greece

1🇬🇷Kalinikos Kreanga1990–201685.6
2🇬🇷Panagiotis Gionis1998–present79.6

Romania

1🇷🇴Otilia Bădescu1986–200885.3
2🇷🇴Daniela Dodean Monteiro2003–present84.9
3🇷🇴Carmen Crișan1978–199080.8
4🇷🇴Adina Diaconu2013–present77.0

By era

1920s

1🇭🇺Viktor Barna1929–195493.6
2🇬🇧Percival Bromfield1926–193583.8
3🇭🇺Ernő Földi1928–193979.2

1930s

1🇬🇧Pinkie Barnes1933–195183.6
2🇬🇧Jack Carrington1935–195577.7

1940s

1🇭🇷Žarko Dolinar1946–195783.4
2🇸🇪Tage Flisberg1946–195882.5
3🇬🇧Helen Elliot1946–195781.2
4🇬🇧Dora Beregi1948–196277.8

1950s

1🇨🇳Zhuang Zedong1959–197284.2
2🇯🇵Fujie Eguchi1954–195982.8
3🇨🇿Josef Dvořáček1951–196482.5
4🇨🇿Oldřich Blecha1954–196681.2
5🇭🇺Zoltán Berczik1952–196679.9

1960s

1🇦🇲Elmira Antonyan1968–197984.6
2🇭🇺István Jónyer1969–198384.4
3🇷🇺Anatoly Amelin1962–197483.7
4🇸🇪Stellan Bengtsson1968–198582.8
5🇭🇷Zlatko Čordaš1968–198082.4

1970s

1🇨🇳Guo Yuehua1977–198586.5
2🇨🇳Cai Zhenhua1979–198986.3
3🇭🇺István Boros1975–198884.1
4🇭🇺Zoltán Bubonyi1977–199083.2
5🇵🇱Andrzej Grubba1977–199782.2

1980s

1🇸🇪Jan-Ove Waldner1980–201694.1
2🇨🇳Deng Yaping1988–199791.4
3🇨🇳Wang Tao1989–199987.4
4🇹🇼Chen Jing1986–200187.0
5🇱🇺Ni Xialian1983–present86.2

1990s

1🇨🇳Ma Lin1998–201386.4
2🇬🇷Kalinikos Kreanga1990–201685.6
3🇨🇳Chen Qi1999–201385.1
4🇰🇷Ryu Seung-min1999–201484.7
5🇦🇹Werner Schlager1990–201584.6

2000s

1🇨🇳Ma Long2006–present97.3
2🇨🇳Ding Ning2005–202189.7
3🇨🇳Guo Yan2001–201287.4
4🇸🇬Feng Tianwei2005–present85.6
5🇳🇱Li Jie2000–202185.2

2010s

1🇨🇳Fan Zhendong2012–present88.5
2🇰🇵Cha Hyo-sim2014–present84.2
3🇺🇸Lily Zhang2010–present83.6
4🇧🇷Hugo Calderano2013–present83.0
5🇨🇳Wu Yang2011–201982.6

By country · By position · By era

Greatest Table Tennis Players from China Greatest Table Tennis Players from Sweden Greatest Table Tennis Players from Hungary Greatest Table Tennis Attackers of all time Greatest Table Tennis Singles of all time Greatest Table Tennis Table tennis of all time Greatest Table Tennis Players who debuted in the 1960s Greatest Table Tennis Players who debuted in the 1970s Greatest Table Tennis Players who debuted in the 1980s Greatest Table Tennis Players who debuted in the 1990s Greatest Table Tennis Players who debuted in the 2000s Greatest Table Tennis Players who debuted in the 2010s

Table Tennis GOAT debates

The closest calls in the ranking, with a full side-by-side breakdown.

Ma Long vs Waldner· Ma Long ranks higher at 97.3 versus Waldner at 94.1, a margin of 3.2 points.Waldner vs Barna· Waldner ranks higher at 94.1 versus Barna at 93.6, a margin of 0.5 points.Barna vs Deng· Barna ranks higher at 93.6 versus Deng at 91.4, a margin of 2.2 points.Deng vs Ding· Deng ranks higher at 91.4 versus Ding at 89.7, a margin of 1.7 points.Ding vs Fan· Ding ranks higher at 89.7 versus Fan at 88.5, a margin of 1.2 points.

How the Table Tennis ranking works

Every athlete is scored on five verified components — Dominance (25%), Peak (20%), Longevity (20%), Honours (20%) and Statistics (15%) — normalised against the full Table Tennis reference cohort rather than a shortlist. A record only receives a published score once it is editorially verified and complete: a season-by-season series, at least three career metrics, documented honours and independent sources. Read the full methodology.

Table Tennis GOAT — frequently asked

Who is the greatest Table Tennis Athlete of all time?: Ma Long leads Table Tennis with a verified GOAT Score of 97.3/100.
How is the Table Tennis GOAT ranking calculated?: Five verified categories are weighted against 289 reference records. Only eligible profiles receive a score.
How many Table Tennis players are ranked?: 177 eligible Table Tennis athletes currently have a published GOAT Score, from 289 reference records.