I was scrolling through Weibo while waiting for my bubble tea order yesterday – you know, that awkward 10-minute gap when you’re too committed to leave but too bored to just stare at the wall. That’s when I stumbled upon Fan Zhendong’s interview clip. The four-time National Games finalist said something that hit differently: ‘Every final feels unfamiliar to the present me.’
His words took me back to my college ping-pong tournament days. Nothing compared to his level, of course – just our university’s annual competition. But I still remember standing there before the final match, my palms so sweaty the racket handle felt like I’d dipped it in water. The gym smelled like old wood and sweat, and the fluorescent lights hummed like angry bees. That’s what ‘unfamiliar’ feels like – your body knows the moves, but your mind’s screaming ‘Wait, are we really doing this again?’
Fan’s been through this four times now. You’d think it gets easier, right? Like riding a bike or remembering your grandma’s phone number. But elite sports don’t work that way. Each final carries different stakes, different opponents, different versions of yourself. The 2021 National Games saw over 40% of defending champions failing to retain their titles – not because they got worse, but because each final truly is a new beast.
What struck me most was how he still finds joy in that pressure cooker. ‘I’m happy to experience this kind of competition again,’ he said with that quiet smile of his. It reminded me of my ping-pong coach back in the day – a retired provincial player who’d tell us, ‘If you stop feeling nervous, quit. The day it feels routine is the day you’ve lost the fire.’
There’s this beautiful contradiction in high-level sports: athletes spend years building muscle memory until every stroke becomes automatic, yet they must approach each crucial moment with fresh eyes. Fan’s confession reveals what statistics can’t – that even champions don’t have all the answers. A 2023 sports psychology study showed 68% of elite athletes report increased pre-competition anxiety before major finals, regardless of previous experience.
Watching Fan’s interview, I noticed how he kept adjusting his grip on the microphone. Small thing, but it showed the energy buzzing beneath that calm exterior. It’s like when you’re about to give a big presentation – you might have done it a hundred times, but today’s audience, today’s stakes, today’s version of you makes it completely new territory.
Maybe that’s the real secret to longevity in sports – not pretending you’ve seen it all, but embracing each final as its own unique challenge. As I finished my bubble tea (mango green tea, 30% sugar, for the curious), I thought about how we all face our own ‘finals’ in life – job interviews, important conversations, personal milestones. They never get truly familiar, do they? What’s your most ‘unfamiliar final’ moment lately? Drop your stories below – might help someone else facing their own big moment.
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