by Gaj Vidmar

Matevz Crepnjak is not a professional player by any means; he holds a PhD in mathematics and works as assistant professor at the University of Maribor. That is the reason why other players sometimes call him “The Professor”.

Dr. Crepnjak is not entirely new to international table tennis: with his team from Maribor, who have won the national championships nine times, he has played in the Central European League, ETTU Cup and TT Inter-Cup. Nevertheless, he is a “late bloomer” – he did not excel in the youth categories and has moved up the rank thanks to dedication and hard work in the category.

This season is his best ever and fully deserves his selection for the national team; in the Slovenian national tournaments, he has reached the semi-finals twice at the Open Championship and he was twice among the eight best players at the Top Tournaments.

Dr. Crepnjak’s performance should certainly motivate other table tennis players – his moto is: never give up, just keep up with hard practise, and the success will come!