Iconic Chinese table tennis player Ding Ning is now widely considered the greatest female TT player the world has ever seen. She has achieved the World Championship title three times and became a Pro Tour winner a record eleven times in her career. Her fellow Chinese players, Liu Shiwen and Li Xiaoxia, also deserve their mentions among the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
Table tennis is one of the most popular indoor sports in the world. It is played with particular fervor in South-East Asia, with several leading table tennis players from the region or of South-Eastern origin. Like all sports, women are no less than men when it comes to table tennis. Let us take a look at the top 10 greatest female table tennis players of all time.
Greatest Female Table Tennis Players – All-Time Ranking
Content Summery
Even though our common notion about indoor sports or games is that athletes who are not very athletic, or physically fit enough, opt for these instead of outdoor sports. However, Table tennis is one indoor sport that completely changes the notion because it requires the players to be agile, fit, and extremely athletic. It requires a great deal of skill.
10. Ai Fukuhara – Japanese Table Tennis Players
Retired Japanese female table tennis player Ai Fukuhara was born on 1 November 1988 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan, and last held the number 12 ranking in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation.
She now has the sponsorship of All Nippon Airways. Fukuhara is a right-handed table tennis player who generally uses a shake-hand grip. She achieved the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
She started playing table tennis at the age of 3 and became the youngest player ever to become a member of the Japanese national team at the age of just 11. Fukuhara became the youngest Japanese representative ever for the Asian Games in 2002 at the age of just 13.
She, with her partner Kasumi Ishikawa, won the Table Tennis Women’s Doubles championship. She now holds the tenth place in our list of the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
9. Wu Jiaduo
Chinese-born German professional female table tennis player Wu Jiaduo was born on 19 September 1977 and last held the number 11 rank in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation.
She began to receive specialized table tennis training at the age of just 7. She relocated to Germany to further her table tennis career in 1998. Wu Jiaduo began to represent Germany at international championships such as the ITTF Pro Tour in 2005.
She currently resides in Düsseldorf, Germany, and currently plays for her club FSV Kroppach. Jiaduo is a right-handed table tennis player who typically uses a shake-hand grip.
She achieved the European Championships in 2009 and became the European Top-12 winner in 2012. She now deserves her mention among the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
8. Chen Meng – Chinese Professional Female Table Tennis Player
Chinese professional female table tennis player Chen Meng was born on 15 January 1994 and is currently the number 1 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024.
She became the titleholder of the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in the girl’s singles event in 2011. Meng is a right-handed table tennis player who typically uses a shake-hand grip.
She achieved her career-high ranking of World No. 1 in January 2018. She currently plays for the Chinese club Shandong Luneng under her coach Liu Zhiqiang. Chen Meng won ITTF World Tour twice till now in the Swedish Open and China Open in 2013.
Qingdao’s sports administration in China named her among the Top Ten Athletes of 2013. Meng surely deserves the eighth place in our list of the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
7. Wu Yang – Ping Pong Player
Chinese professional female table tennis player Wu Yang was born on January 5, 1992, and is currently the number 12 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024. And best table tennis women’s inspiration.
She achieved the gold medal in Asian Table Tennis Championships in team events in 2009. She achieved the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in the singles event in 2009.
Fans regard her for her unorthodox but consistent chopping style and also for her strong counter-attacks. She achieved her career-high ranking of World No. 4 in January 2014.
She won the ITTF World Tour twice till now in Polish Open and the Slovenian Open in 2011. Wu Yang currently plays for the Chinese club Datong Jindi under her coach Kong Linghui. She now holds her place among the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
6. Zhu Yuling – Best Table Tennis Player
Chinese professional female table tennis player Zhu Yuling was born on 10 January 1995 and is currently the number 2 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024.
She won the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in the girl’s singles event twice in her junior career. She became the semi-finalist at the 2013 World Table Tennis Championships.
Yuling is a right-handed table tennis player who uses a shake-hand grip. She achieved the Asian Youth Championship title in both singles and doubles events in 2011. Zhu Yuling won the ITTF Pro Tour in the singles event twice till now in Stockholm and Kuwait City in 2014.
She also achieved the doubles event at the ITTF Pro Tour in Stockholm. She surely deserves sixth place among the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
5. Feng Tianwei – Best Table Tennis Player in the World
Singaporean professional female table tennis player Feng Tianwei was born on 31 August 1986 and is currently the number 9 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024.
She achieved her career-high ranking of 2 in August 2011. Born in China, Tianwei later moved to Singapore under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme in March 2007. Feng now holds her place among the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
She received her Singapore citizenship in January 2008 and represented Singapore for the first time at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Tianwei, an authentic right-handed table tennis player, uses a shake-hand grip. She currently uses a Stiga Kevlar blade as her equipment. Tianwei achieved her first singles title at the Polish Open in Warsaw on 30 November 2008.
4. Kasumi Ishikawa – Top Table Tennis Players
Japanese professional female table tennis player Kasumi Ishikawa was born on 23 February 1993 and is currently the number 9 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024. Her entire family, including her parents and sister, played or used to play table tennis at the competitive level.
Fans regard her for using speedy top spins and loops during her offensive play. Ishikawa currently uses Clipper CR WRB as her blade, FastArc G-1 for her forehand, and Tenergy 64 for her backhand.
She achieved the All Japan Table Tennis Championships four years in a row in the female junior division since 2007. She became the World Tour winner twice in Morocco Open in 2010 and in Chile Open in 2011.
Ishikawa is a part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Ishikawa definitely holds her place among the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
3. Li Xiaoxia – Worlds Best Table Tennis Player
Chinese professional female table tennis player Li Xiaoxia was born on 16 January 1988 and is currently the number 3 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024.
She currently trains under Li Sun in the Jiangsu Wuxi Shanhe Club in Wuxi, China. Her coach is also the mentor of Olympic gold medal winner Zhang Yining. She achieved the top place in the ITTF ranking for the first time in April 2011. Li Xiaoxia, an authentic right-handed player, uses a shake-hand grip.
She achieved the gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2012 and became the World Champion in 2013. She also achieved the World Championships in team events twice, in 2006 and 2008.
Li Xiaoxia achieved the Asian Championships in the Mixed Doubles event in 2009. Li surely deserves the third place in our list of the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
2. Liu Shiwen – Professional Table Tennis Players
Chinese professional female table tennis player Liu Shiwen was born on 12 April 1991 and is currently the number 5 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024.
She held the number 1 rank in ITTF from January to September 2010 for nine consecutive months. Shiwen uses Butterfly Liu Shiwen as her blade, black-colored Tibhar Grip-S for her forehand, and red-colored Butterfly Tenergy 05 for her backhand. She achieved the World Cup title three times till now in 2009, 2012, and 2013.
Shiwen also achieved the Pro Tour eight times and Pro Tour Grand Final three times. She won the Asian Cup in 2010, 2012, and 2013. Liu Shiwen achieved the title of the World Championships in team events twice in 2012 and 2014.
Shiwan definitely deserves the second place in our list of the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
1. Ding Ning – World No 1 Table Tennis Player
Chinese professional female table tennis player Ding Ning was born on 20 June 1990 in Daqing, Heilongjiang, China, and is currently the number 6 ranked female player in the world according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings as of 2024. She achieved the women’s singles event at the World Table Tennis Championships in 2011.
This left-handed player uses a shake-hand grip. Ding Ning won the World Junior Championships in 2005 and won the World Championships as a professional in 2011.
She also achieved the World Cup title in the singles event twice in 2011 Singapore and 2014 Linz. Ding Ning became the Pro Tour winner four times till now in Kuwait Open in 2009 and the English, UAE, and Austrian Open in 2011.
She also achieved the World Cup title in team events thrice till now. Ning now holds her place among the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
Conclusion
Besides the greatest table tennis players, the female athletes who have participated in the sport of table tennis are among the finest indoor sports athletes in the world.
These female table tennis players from all over the world dominate the world of the sport and are almost at par with the male players in skill and popularity. And now, we hope that you liked our list of the greatest female table tennis players of all time.
Greatest Female Table Tennis Players – Infographics
FAQs Regarding Greatest Female Table Tennis Players
Q. Who is the greatest female table tennis player of all time?
There is no better female table tennis player than Deng Yaping. As one of the best female players of all time, she has proven herself at the Olympics and World Championships.
Q. Who was the first female to play table tennis?
Indian Manika Batra was the first woman to play table tennis. As of 2022, she is ranked 62nd in the world and top-ranked in India as of November 2020. She received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2020.
Q. Who is the best table tennis player in India?
Ananta Sharath Kamal is an Indian table tennis professional. In his case, he broke the Indian record of eight times National Champion Kamlesh Mehta by becoming a nine-time Senior National Champion.
Q. Is there a goat in the table tennis world?
The GOAT of table tennis, Ma Long, has cemented his position. It is his second gold medal in the singles event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after defending his title. Taking down compatriot and world no. 1, he displayed typical dominance to win the title.
Last Updated On: November 2024