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Reactions to the new cup format: “A step in the right direction”
The premiere of the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening in Nuremberg had been eagerly anticipated. Following the twelve matches of the round of 16 and quarter-finals played over two days at the Kia Metropol Arena, it can be concluded – based on a random opinion poll conducted by the TTBL editorial team amongst the participating clubs – that players and managers alike are convinced by the new format for various reasons and are looking forward to a repeat next year with great anticipation, despite a few isolated critical voices.
In the hours following his greatest sporting disappointment in a long time, Borussia Düsseldorf’s manager Andreas Preuß found at least some distracting solace at the premiere of the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening in Nuremberg. “I like the format,” said Preuß the day after the heavily favoured Rhinelanders were knocked out in the round of 16 at the Noris, “it’s brilliant and very well presented. It’s a step in the right direction.”
Like the 64-year-old – who also serves as chairman of the supervisory board of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) – the players, as the core target group, were also impressed by the first-ever merger of the round of 16 and quarter-finals of the cup competition to form the third and newest member of the TTBL’s family of major events. “The format is a great help to players who compete mainly at international level. It eases the scheduling pressure somewhat, as the cup can now be played at a high standard over two weekends. That makes things much simpler,” said European silver medallist Benedikt Duda (Bergneustadt), acknowledging the TTBL’s efforts to relieve the professionals of some of the constant pressure of a packed schedule.
Alongside the former top-10 player, his teammates Patrick Franziska (Saarbrücken), Ricardo Walther (Grünwettersbach) and Ruwen Filus (Fulda-Maberzell) also believe the desired goal has been achieved. “For us players, the changes mean fewer fixtures,” says Franziska, and Filus agrees: “For a Bundesliga team, it’s a great event to play in a large hall where lots of spectators can come along. It’s also a good event because everything is a bit more compact for the lads who have to travel all over the place.” Walther also emphasises that “it’s good for scheduling too, as there won’t be any more cup fixtures until January”.
As well as the lighter schedule, Walther also highlights the new sense of adventure for the players. “It was lovely for us to play in a venue like that and to be together with all the other teams. Even if one or two things could have been better, it was cool and felt like a school trip.”
Franziska was also reminded of a school trip: “Of course, you could tell that everyone was fired up and wanted to reach the Final4, but above all, it was great fun. Events like this, with everyone together, are brilliant.”
For Ivor Ban (Bad Homburg), Nuremberg was actually right up his street. “Matches in large venues are good for everyone; they mean more fans can watch Fan Zhendong and all the others together in one venue – that’s brilliant,” says the Croatian. “I love matches in large venues; it’s just like in China. Everyone plays better then too, which is a good thing.”
Manager Michael Hinz of Union Velbert and club chairman Matthias Grünenwald of TTC Bietigheim-Bissingen also see the new event as a positive development. “I think the format is lovely and really good. As a club from the second or third division, you don’t usually have this kind of crowd, but now you get to experience a big audience and other teams. It also takes some of the organisational burden off smaller clubs like us.” Whilst Grünenwald did criticise the event’s timing during the school holidays in southern Germany, he otherwise found the format “great and appealing to spectators. We enjoyed it, had a brilliant time – it was a fantastic experience.”
Coach Evgeny Fadeev (Dortmund) also believes that lower-division teams are the big winners of the cup’s revamp: “The format is absolutely brilliant, spot on and particularly good for players in the second and third divisions, as they get to rub shoulders with the stars in a fantastic venue and a brilliant atmosphere.”
Florian Manzke
Photo: BeLaSportfoto
