Last Updated on October 25, 2023 by Sorin Petroj
Timo Boll table tennis player nationality – German native, born in Erbach, started playing table tennis at 4. Unlike many other players, Boll was not pressured into the profession by his parents. He chose to play table tennis on his own.
Boll’s earliest experiences with the sport were made possible by his father’s decision to buy a ping pong table for the house since he loved playing table tennis himself.
His father was big on table tennis and gladly coached Timo at an early age. He appreciated other things outside of table tennis, though.
Timo Boll is one of the best table tennis players of all time and was an extremely active young man. He also loved playing tennis and soccer. His father considered constructing a tennis court so he could practice, but they could not get planning approval.
Timo Boll Player Early Life
In 1986, Boll signed up for his first team, TSV Höchst. Hesse-based trainer Helmut Hampel recognized Boll’s talent when he was eight. Then he began to advocate for Boll.
Timo Boll changed teams in 1994, playing for FTG Frankfurt club in the Second Division. He developed a reputation in FTG Frankfurt, and after a year, TTV Gönnern extended an offer for him to join their club. This compelled Timo Boll to travel 170 kilometers to Höchst.
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He was given the fifth spot on the squad, which meant he wouldn’t be facing the best players on his opponents’ teams. Since Boll only lost one game the entire season, TTV Gönnern was able to advance to the national league – Tischtennis-Bundesliga.
Timo continued success and dominated the national table tennis scene, winning several competitions at age 14. Timo Boll is considered among his generation’s top players and is currently a pro table tennis player.
Boll is an entertainer who has been in several German films besides playing tennis. 2018 was the highlight year of his career as he was recognized as one of the sport’s greats. He has secured the #1 spot several times, notably in 2003 and 2011.
Timo Boll’s Playing Style
Timo Boll is famous for both his forehand topspin and lightning-quick backhand loop. Boll prefers to play with his left hand. He uses a blade that has Dignis 09 rubber attached to Butterfly Timo Boll ALCs.
His current doubles partner is Patrick Franziska. Boll was one of the pioneers of the two-winged looper, and his method was revolutionary. Instead of using a passive block, he uses the spin block to apply more pressure on his opponents.
He is one of the finest players in the game, and he is well-regarded for his ability to produce a lot of spins, especially in his opening topspin. In the national league, he was the youngest player.
| Player name | Timo Boll |
| Place of birth | Erbach, Hessen, West Germany |
| Date of birth | 8th March 1981 |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nickname | Timo “Magic” Boll |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Nationality | German |
| Age | 41 |
| Height | 5’11’’ |
| Weight | 74 kg |
| Father’s name | Wolfgang Boll |
| Mother’s name | Gudrun Boll |
| Career debut | 1995 |
| Net worth | $7 million |
| Endorsement | Butterfly table tennis brand |
| Education | Realschule |
| Marital status | Married |
| Highest ranking | #1 |
| Current ranking | #12 |
| Playstyle | Left-handed, shake-hand grip |
Timo Boll maintained his top position by employing a few techniques like a low stance, using his wrists for power drives, and putting a lot of speed in every shot. He benefited significantly from this tactic during the celluloid balls because it put his opponents under much pressure.
Since the invention of the plastic ball, Boll has focused more on his counter-topspin technique on both the forehand and backhand ends. He reached the finals of the Australia Open in 2019 and faced then World number 1 Fan Zhendong by relying on these skills.
Timo Boll Table Tennis Player Net Worth and Salary
Timo Boll’s net worth is around $7 million. However, his acting and table tennis careers provide most of his income. Not to mention, Boll also receives an astounding sum of money through brand partnerships and endorsements.
Timo Boll has also been ranked #2 among the world’s wealthiest table tennis players. Boll is also the most wealthy European table tennis player. Timo earned $16,000 per game in the China Super League in 2017.
Timo Boll makes about $35,000 per season. Timo has additionally created a respectable sum of money via bonuses and prize money. Timo currently earns close to $100,000 from his club. He also made $2 million from bonuses and prize money.
Timo Boll Player Equipment
The Butterfly table tennis brand endorses Timo Boll. They have been his sponsors since 1993, so they have a strong business relationship.
Butterfly even made a paddle specifically for him so he could perform at the top of his game. Boll has experimented with various blades, including the Butterfly Viscaria and the Timo Boll Spirit.
However, he fell in love with the Timo Boll ALC. He has been employing this blade for a very long time. He has also experimented with a variety of rubbers in the past.
Timo Boll has used Tenergy 05 on both sides of his blade for a long time. Boll experimented with the new Dignics series and discovered that Dignics 09C was perfect for him.
He attaches the rubber on both sides. Although Timo Boll’s paddle may have evolved, he seemed loyal to the Butterfly table tennis brand.
A quick overview of the pieces of equipment used by Timo Boll throughout his career
The Butterfly Viscaria
The newest innovation to come out of Butterfly’s R&D division is the Viscaria Super ALC blade. This modification to the traditional Viscaria blade gives players all across the board alternative options due to its improved strength and softer touch.
The blade comprises two Super ALC carbon fiber layers and five wood plies.
The Timo Boll Spirit Ping Pong Blade
The Timo Boll Spirit is one of the most used and well-liked blades in Butterfly’s tennis lineup. With the huge sweet spot and incredibly quick playability of this premium composite blade, you have complete control over your strokes.
Koto, ALC, and Limba layers offer additional speed and power for a top-notch looping technique, and the blade’s low weight makes it simple to carve loops and straight hits. Suitable for gamers with both right and left hands.
The Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Blade (The Infamous Timo Boll Racket)
Timo Boll, the triple European champion, prefers to use the Timo Boll ALC blade. Timo collaborated with Butterfly’s engineers to create his new blade, which is somewhat faster than his old one while still enabling him to produce powerful topspin strokes.
This table tennis blade is impressive and flawlessly constructed in every way. The grip and blade are built entirely of carbon fiber and are lightweight yet sturdy in a design that stabilizes your wrist and absorbs impact so you can produce full power on every stroke.
How Timo Boll Stayed in The Game for So Long
Timo’s decision to go with the ALC helped him avoid showing any evident “decline” in his performance. To succeed against the Chinese table tennis players, he used this blade to rework his shots into the ideal blend of speed and spin, designed for fast returns on the spin, hitting the ball consistently on the table and coming out aggressively on the counter.
Ever since he was young, he has repeatedly defeated China’s top players, earning him the utmost respect from his fellow competitors and a growing nationwide fan base. Timo has made good use of his time over the past ten years.
He got the nickname Timo “Magic” Boll after hitting a reversed spinning shot against Andrej Gacina in London in 2012 that caused his opponent to fall to the table.
Timo Boll has modified his 2008 style so he can easily win games early. This new style of play helped him make a comeback after being plagued with injuries in 2015 and 2016.
Timo Boll’s Daily Routine
Timo gets up early and has oats and fruit for breakfast every morning. He performs warm-up exercises for 20 to 30 minutes after breakfast. Yoga, running, and calisthenics are all part of his warm-up routine, followed by Theraband workouts.
Timo Boll enjoys eating fruit and drinking a lot of water. He thinks drinking water is crucial for staying hydrated and active throughout the day. Boll, however, dislikes going to the gym and believes that one may exercise at home and maintain good health.
Timo also frequently exercises on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Timo allots roughly 15 hours each week to practice since he hates wasting time that he could use to enhance his skills dramatically.
Vacations
Timo has undoubtedly visited many locations worldwide for events, vacations, and tournaments. He often goes on vacation except when traveling around for games.
He needs some time off, considering how much effort he puts into regular gameplay enhancement. Timo Boll likes staying close to the ocean, sea, and water for his holidays. He picks these places to spend precious time with his wife and children.
Timo Boll Table Tennis Player Medals And Achievements
Timo Boll is surely one of the greatest German table tennis players ever. He became the first German to hold the top spot in the World rankings. Boll’s career is exceptional since he has consistently managed to play at a high level the entire time.
Timo Boll Rankings – He has climbed to the top of the global rankings three times over 15 years (2003, 2011, and 2018). He last dropped out of the top 20 in 2001, which was twenty-one years ago!
On a global scale, he also holds numerous awards, the most notable of which are his World Cup gold medals from 2002 and 2005. He won the silver medal in teams in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Boll helped lead Germany to the men’s team finals and played a critical role in the third match against Taiwan and Japan. Boll stated, “If we can be at our peak, all three of us have the skills and the will to win the match. We will go to no limits to prove that this is our time.”
Boll’s most significant rivals have been Wang Hao, Ma Long, Vladimir Samsonov, Xu Xin, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, and Zoran Primorac.
Timo Boll has a record of 10 wins and 26 losses against Wang Hao, nine wins and 16 losses against Ma Long, eight wins and 22 losses against Vladimir Samsonov, seven wins and 18 losses against Xu Xin, ten wins and 11 losses against Dimitrij Ovtcharov, and 16 wins and two losing games against Zoran Primorac.
Timo Boll’s Major Achievements
- World Cup singles: ( 2 times ) – 2002, 2005
- European game singles: – 2019
- European championship with the team ( 7 times ): – 2007 – 2011, 2017, 2019
- The European championship men’s doubles: ( 5 times ) – 2002 – 2010
- European championship singles ( 8 times ): – 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2021
- European games men’s team event: – 2019
- International Table Tennis ITTF Male Table Tennis Star: – 2017
- Sportsman of the Year in Hessen: – 2006, 2008, 2010
- European Super Cup Champion: – 2007, 2008, 2009
- World Table Tennis Championships: Men’s singles – Bronze medal – in 2020 at Olympics, Men’s singles – Gold medal – in 2011 – Rotterdam
Timo Boll has won numerous medals at the Olympic Games and World Table Tennis Championships. He is a two-time men’s singles Olympic silver medalist and has won five World Championship medals, including two gold medals in men’s doubles with Christian Suss and Bastian Steger.
Timo Boll won many other prestigious tournaments, such as the Liebherr World Championships, ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, and International Table Tennis Pro Tour Grand Finals. He has been ranked World number one eight times by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
The season 2005/2006 ended with Boll winning the Champions League with TTV RE-BAU Gönnern and the Table Tennis World Cup in Liège in Belgium, where he defeated all three Chinese first-class players. In 2007, he won the European Championship in singles, doubles, and team event competitions.
Timo Boll Olympics
Throughout the first half of 2004, Boll struggled with back issues, which hampered his training for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Jan-Ove Waldner defeated him in the quarterfinals of this competition.
Timo Boll won tournaments in Poland, the Austrian Open, and the German Bundesliga following a time during which he faced widespread criticism from the public. He once more participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics with the German national squad in Beijing.
The team won matches against Croatia, Canada, Singapore, and Japan in the preliminary stages and the semifinal before falling to the Chinese team hosting the event 0-3. Timo Boll defended his three European Champion championships from the previous year as the highest player in 2008.
Boll lost to Adrian Crisan in the round of 16 at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but the German team took home the bronze.
Timo Boll’s Player Career Highlights
Timo Boll was the youngest competitor in the national tournament, only 14 years old. He also won the 1995 European Youth Table Tennis Championships, taking three gold medals.
He would be content with a silver medal in the Junior Boys Singles event at the European Youth Championships a year later. But in the following seasons, he established himself by winning two more gold medals in singles.
In 2002, Boll earned his first consecutive senior titles. The European Top 12 Tournament came first. He defeated Vladimir Samsonov to win the contest for the first time.
Throughout his career, Timo Boll will go on to prevail in 6 of these contests. Boll achieved his first European Championships in the singles and doubles competitions in 2002. Timo Boll also won the singles title at the World Cup to round up a brilliant year.
This was a big win for him because it signified his first victory outside of Europe and showed that he could compete with the best. Boll defeated Wang Liqin and Kong Linghui to win the gold.
At the time, these two athletes held the titles of World Champion and Olympic Champion, demonstrating Boll’s caliber. Timo Boll climbed to the top of the world by January of the year.
Timo Boll Injuries and Comebacks
In 2004, Boll’s injuries started to be a problem. Back issues hampered his Olympic preparation, and as a result, he finished in fifth place after falling to Jan-Ove Waldner 4-1. Timo Boll would later go on to dominate in a couple of World Tour competitions, but his back problem continued. After that, he recovered from a back injury and continued to make successes.
Boll’s form improved by 2005. He defeated three top Chinese players in seven grueling sets to claim his second gold medal at the World Cup in Liège. At the World Championships, Boll would win silver for the second time, this time in the doubles competition instead of the team competition. By year’s end, Timo Boll was ranked second in the world.
Boll made his final club transition to Borussia Düsseldorf in December 2006. Although he initially agreed to a three-year contract, he is still active with the team today. After years of success in Borussia Düsseldorf, Timo Boll experienced back problems once more in 2008, which forced him to miss important competitions.
Thankfully, they seemed to go away; he wouldn’t experience a severe accident for another seven years. In the summer of 2015, after coming from the Chinese Super League, Boll experienced knee problems.
Later, he discovered that he would require knee surgery. Timo Boll underwent surgery just before the Olympics and fully recovered to participate. He was a Bronze medalist in the team competition but fell to Quadri Aruna in the round of 32.
Fan Support
Everyone is very fond of Timo Boll because he has a beautiful and modest personality. Boll’s playstyle and illustrious career are other reasons why people adore him. He has nearly 20 years of top-tier performance, and his style is inspiring.
Timo Boll is so well-liked that occasionally the crowd yells louder for him than for the local players, even when he competes in China, where the sport is extremely popular.
Timo Boll has tried to learn the Mandarin language because of how well-liked he is there, but he can only manage a few simple sentences.
Timo Boll Table Tennis Player – The Legend’s Future
Boll admitted that he fears retiring in a 2019 interview. This is because all he knows is table tennis. He has been engaged in the sport since he was four years old and knew quitting would be difficult.
Although he currently has no intention of leaving. But Timo Boll is now 40. We expect he will retire eventually. Boll talked openly about the uncertainty of his position in the game five years ago.
He finally got the singles title at the European World Championships. Also, he won silver in the Team competition at the Tokyo Olympics, proving that he can still perform at a high level.
If he can continue to perform outstandingly, Boll will keep on playing. I hope his body can handle the punishment. Timo Boll has struggled with injuries in the past, and they often lead to retirement.
Today, Butterfly created many pieces of equipment behind his name, and some of them are the great ping pong tables such as Joylite and Repulse.
He might pick up golf after he retires. The spouse of Timo Boll is Rodella Jacobi. Before being married and having his daughter, he enjoyed playing golf. He left because he ran out of time, but he will have more time to play after he retires.
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