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Henzell set for eighth World Cup

 

Henzell set for eighth World Cup

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AOC
Henzell set for eighth World Cup
33-year-old William Henzell will compete at his eighth World Cup Table Tennis event in Halmstad, Sweden.

TABLE TENNIS: You have to go back to 2012, the year of the London Olympics, to find the last time William Henzell tasted success at the men’s table tennis World Cup event.

This weekend he’ll suit up at the annual event for an eighth time, taking on the very best in the world in Halmstad, Sweden.

A lot has changed in the life of Australia’s top-ranked player since 2012. Having dominated the sport domestically for more than a decade, Henzell has taken a step back in recent years to focus on his life outside of table tennis.

By his own admission, the 33-year-old spends nowhere near enough time hitting balls these days, and he’s not really sure whether he’ll have a crack at going to a fourth Olympics.

Table Tennis Australia head coach, Jens Lang, hopes Henzell decides to go around one more time.

“My preference is that he plays, and he trials,” Lang said.

“Absolutely, no doubt about it. But at the same time, William is 100 per cent a professional, and he feels that if he is not able to do something wholeheartedly and to give 100 per cent, he doesn’t feel comfortable and that might have an impact on his performance.”

Henzell has a current world ranking of 127. A year ago he briefly cracked the top 100, making it to 99.

His best ever world ranking was back in 2012, when he reached number 90.

“Whichever decision he makes, he’s a seasoned professional, he knows what is good for himself, and whichever decision he takes in the end, we will respect,” Lang said.

“But until he makes that final call, I’ll try to support him as best as possible and to try and help him prepare for the Olympic trials.”

Only the very best players in the world get invited to the annual World Cup. Henzell has been to seven. He enjoyed a purple patch in 2011 and 2012, winning matches at both.

He gets to the World Cup because he is the number one player in the Oceania region, and has been for a long time.

Even now, with limited training time and forces pulling the Melbourne-based Henzell in all directions, Lang says he’s Australia’s best.

But Lang is also aware of the challenge facing Henzell this weekend.

“He has been the dominant player in Oceania for more than a decade, and out of all the TTA male players, he’s the most internationally competitive,” Lang said.

“But at the same time, the men’s World Cup is the crème de la crème. It’s the best players in the world.

“Even if he was well prepared, and at the very top of his game, it’s really tough competition.

“His big challenge at the moment is he’s trying to balance so many things in his life. Understandably, table tennis is not the biggest priority in his life at the moment, so his preparation has been challenging.”

The men’s World Cup begins Friday night, Australian time, and runs through until Sunday.

ROSS SOLLY FOR TABLE TENNIS AUSTRALIA