Fan Zhendong bid farewell perfectly

In the early morning of April 16 Beijing time, in the 21st round of the 2025–2026 German Table Tennis Bundesliga, Saarbrücken hosted Werder Bremen at the Joachim Deckarm Halle. Grand Slam champion Fan Zhendong played his final home match in Saarbrücken colours, scoring two points to lead his team to a 3–1 victory. Next season, Fan will transfer to Düsseldorf and begin a new Bundesliga chapter on July 1.  

In June 2025, Fan Zhendong announced his move to German club Saarbrücken, embarking on his overseas career. During his time with Saarbrücken, Fan achieved remarkable success. On January 4 of this year, he led the team to a 3–1 win over Fulda-Maberzell in the German Cup final, claiming the title and being named MVP of the final. Throughout the Bundesliga season, German media dubbed him the “anchor of stability.” His arrival not only sold out Saarbrücken’s home tickets at seven times the usual price and boosted the club’s sponsors from 10 to 64, but also put the small city of 180,000 people on the global map.  

As the current Bundesliga season draws to a close, Fan Zhendong’s partnership with Saarbrücken is also coming to an end. Early this morning Beijing time, the match against Bremen became Fan’s last home appearance for Saarbrücken. As the team’s core, he displayed world‑class prowess in both singles rubbers—against Bertrand, he was pushed to a decider but fought back to win 3–2; against Glasmenko, he cruised to a 3–0 victory. Fan’s two points helped Saarbrücken defeat Werder Bremen 3–1, bringing their home regular season to a perfect close.  

This season, Fan Zhendong has played 19 Bundesliga singles matches, winning 17 for a winning percentage above 92%. However, this is not yet his farewell to the season—after the home finale, he will still represent Saarbrücken in the Bundesliga Final Four and the Champions League Final Four. Nonetheless, after the last home match, the club held a warm farewell ceremony for him and three other players. Fan expressed his gratitude to the club, the staff, and the fans.  

As he bids farewell to Saarbrücken, Fan Zhendong will officially debut for Düsseldorf in July, continuing to compete in the Bundesliga in the 2026/2027 season.