Champion China table tennis player slammed for losing crucial Singapore game after ‘joyfully singing’ at Taylor Swift gig

A top table tennis player in China has faced online criticism for “slacking” after he went to a Taylor Swift concert in Singapore before taking part in and crashing out of a major tournament in the Lion City. - Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Baidu/Douyin

BEIJING (SCMP): A top table tennis player in China who was accused of losing an international match in Singapore because he attended a Taylor Swift concert has defended himself by saying he is just an ordinary young man with hobbies.

Fan Zhendong, 27, a former world No 1 ping pong champion, was defeated by his teammate Lin Shidong, 18, at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Grand Smash in Singapore at the beginning of March.