- Royale retired: Boll team out
Before the eyes of Sweden's King Carl XVI. Gustaf and basketball icon Dirk Nowitzki, the international career of table tennis star Timo Boll came to an end. Led by the former world number one, the German team lost their quarterfinal against European champions Sweden 0:3 at the Paris Olympics. Boll had announced in May that he would only play one more year for his club Borussia Düsseldorf after his seventh Olympic Games.
Only three set wins
The lineup of celebrities in the humble Arena Sud 4 in Paris was fitting for the evening. Superstar Nowitzki, a close friend of Boll for years, and Sweden's King Carl Gustaf with his wife Silvia took their seats on the main tribune. Nowitzki sat next to national player Patrick Franziska, while Silvia watched the games through a mini binoculars. Meanwhile, her husband was busy taking photos with his smartphone.
However, there was only jubilation on the Scandinavian side. Boll, alongside European champion Dan Qiu, lost the doubles 0:3. Dimitri Ojcharov had to concede a thrilling duel to Paris' Olympic silver medalist Truls Moregardh, 2:3. Finally, Boll lost his singles against Anton Kallberg 1:3.
With this, one of Germany's greatest sportsmen of all time bids farewell to the international stage. Boll's resume includes four Olympic team medals, two individual world championship medals, and eight European championship titles. At times in his career, the 43-year-old was so dominant that the powerful Chinese trained Boll clones to mimic the feared German's playing style.
Retirement plans with Nowitzki
Boll already has part-time retirement plans - and they're closely linked to Nowitzki. "Dirk has been jokingly telling me for two or three years now to finally retire so we can do something together," the veteran told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung".
Boll visited the German basketball legend during his last season in Dallas and was also present at his induction into the Hall of Fame in August 2023. At the 2021 World Championships in Houston, Nowitzki was already in the car to watch Boll's game against Wang Yang, which was cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Women still in the game
The German women's team will play their quarterfinal on Wednesday morning (10:00 AM). The trio narrowly beat the USA but is now the favorite against India.
After hearing about Boll's loss in the quarterfinals, Nowitzki turned to his neighbor and asked, "- What? They lost 0:3?" Furthermore, during their retirement planning discussion, Boll mentioned, "- What? Dirk has been suggesting that we retire and do something together for a few years now."
