Ovtcharov before World Cup comeback: “Can be dangerous for everyone”

Durban. Table tennis star Dimitrij Ovtcharov will make his World Championship comeback after four years at the World Championships in South Africa next weekend. The Olympic bronze medalist was last there in Budapest in 2019. He then missed two World Cup tournaments due to a serious ankle injury, and a third was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m happy that I’ve found contact again and that I’ve beaten some top players after a long injury. It shows me that the level is there and that I can still be dangerous for everyone,” said Ovtcharov. “Only the consistency hasn’t been that good in the past few months. With a bit of luck, you can go a long way at the World Cup. But I don’t want to set myself any performance-oriented goals at the moment, such as having to win a medal. Of course I always want to.”

From May 20th to 28th, a Table Tennis World Championship will take place in Durban for the second time since 1939 in Africa. The 34-year-old Ovtcharov will compete in singles and doubles with his national team colleague Patrick Franziska.