Joo Sae-hyuk (, ; born 20 January 1980) is a South Korean

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

player. As a singles player, he was a silver medalist at the 2003 World Table Tennis Championships, a bronze medalist at the 2011 Table Tennis World Cup, and a bronze medalist at the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...

. In the team event, as a member of the South Korean National Team, he was a silver medalist in the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, and

; the

and 2008 World Championships; and the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

History

Joo Sae-hyuk was born in Seoul, South Korea on January 20, 1980. He stands 180 cm tall, and weighs 68 kg. He first started competing when he was 8 years old. He joined the national team in 2001, and fans began taking an interest in him for his dynamic defensive style. Between April and May 2012, Joo Sae-hyuk was diagnosed with

Behçet's disease Behçet's disease (BD) is a type of inflammatory disorder which affects multiple parts of the body. The most common symptoms include painful sores on the mucous membranes of the mouth and other parts of the body, inflammation of parts of the ...

, Although Behcet's disease is known to be incurable, it appears that Joo Sae-hyuk is still performing well. On the medical side, Joo Sae-hyuk relies on glucocorticoids to manage his disease.

Style of Play

Joo Sae-hyuk has helped revive the popularity of the defensive style at the professional level. He is one of the few top-ranked players in the world (position 5 in 2012) to play a primarily defensive style, repeatedly returning the ball with heavy backspin on both wings. This has led many to dub him the best defensive player of all time. At the same time, he has a powerful topspin forehand that he uses to counterattack when the opportunity may arise. As with many defenders, his long rallies and entertaining style of play have made him a fan favourite. He is one of several foreign players in recent years to challenge China's dominance over the sport. Despite his age, he is still going strong on the tour.

Rankings

Since June 2003, the International Table Tennis Federation has consistently ranked Joo Sae-hyuk as one of the 40 best table tennis players in the world after he defeated Ma Lin. Since July 2006, he has been consistently ranked in the ITTF's top 20. His peak rating was at #5, in March 2012.

Coaches

* Yang Ki-ho - Personal Coach * Yoo Nam-kyu - National Coach *

Kim Taek-soo Kim Taek-Soo (, born May 25, 1970) is a former table tennis player from South Korea. He used a one-sided Table tennis#Penhold, penhold style, compared to the newer style of reverse-backhand looping that has become the Chinese penhold standard. ...

- National Coach

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joo, Sae-hyuk South Korean male table tennis players 1980 births Living people Asian Games medalists in table tennis Olympic table tennis players for South Korea Table tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Table tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Table tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for South Korea Olympic medalists in table tennis Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Table tennis players at the 2002 Asian Games Table tennis players at the 2006 Asian Games Table tennis players at the 2010 Asian Games Table tennis players at the 2014 Asian Games Asian Games silver medalists for South Korea Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Summer World University Games medalists in table tennis World Table Tennis Championships medalists South Korean expatriate sportspeople in China Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade FISU World University Games silver medalists for South Korea Expatriate table tennis people in Japan South Korean table tennis coaches 21st-century South Korean sportsmen