21 Jun 2020

We’re back with another exciting edition of Player Watch where we bring you the latest from the world’s table tennis stars and social media.

This week the players have been celebrating two special occasions, working on their fitness and more:

by Simon Daish

Happy Father’s Day!!!

Sunday 21st June marked Father’s Day in many countries across the world and some of the stars have been paying tribute to the special men in their lives:

Tomokazu Harimoto shared a heart-warming dedication to his father, Yu Harimoto, with a throwback photo:

Yu Mengyu followed down a similar path with an adorable childhood photo pictured alongside her father:

 

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Happy Father’s Day 感谢您的陪伴! 🌹

A post shared by Mengyu Yu (@yu_mengyu.818) on

2006 Commonwealth Games champion Sharath Kamal Achanta praised his father for the help and influence on his career:

While Charlotte Carey posted a series of photos of her with her dad:

 

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Happy Fathers Day Dad! ❤️

A post shared by Charlotte Carey 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@charlcareytt) on

International Yoga Day

Another celebratory event took place on the same day, this time centred around Yoga for International Yoga Day 2020.

Promoting the disciplines of yoga on a regular basis, Sarah De Nutte demonstrated her technique against a wonderful outside backdrop:

 

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Happy International Yoga Day 🧘🏻‍♀️ . Have you ever tried Yoga? 🤔

A post shared by Sarah De Nutte (@sarahdenutte) on

Manika Batra has also been celebrating the occasion with an inspirational and uplifting quote:

Yoga enthusiasts, be sure to check out our special International Yoga Day article here.

Full steam ahead

Becoming common sight in recent weeks, the stars are continuing to train hard in anticipation of their eventual return to the table with no time to let up.

Omar Assar has been combining weight training and outdoor time:

 

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Happy Sunday 🍀☀️ @borussiaduesseldorf @butterflyttofficial @pharco_pharmaceuticals

A post shared by Omar Assar عمر عصر (@omarassar) on

Taking the fitness work inside, Minnie Soo Wai Yam is keeping up her rehabilitation with her step up and swimming routine:

On the table, Truls Moregard and Jonathan Groth have partnered up in Denmark:

 

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Nice to be allowed in to Denmark and practice with the legend @jonathangroth92 😋

A post shared by Truls Moregardh (@moregardhtruls) on

Brian Afanador has also had the racket in hand and is looking sharp as ever:

 

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Feels good to be back 🏓🎩 #tabletennis #themagician #puertorico

A post shared by Ᏼriαn Afanador, OLY (@briantmpr) on

What else caught our eye?

A week packed with social media activity, there were a few further posts that received our nod of approval.

First of which was Jeon Jihee’s throwback to an epic point from the 2019 Hong Kong Open:

 

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#ittfworldtour 2019hongkong open # ping-pong #탁구 #지희 탁구

A post shared by Ji Hee Jeon (@jeon.jihee) on

Will Bayley proved he has more than one sporting talent – just look at those keepie uppie skills:

 

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Tunbridge Wells United 2021/2022 I’m available on a free transfer 👌🔥😆

A post shared by Will Bayley MBE (@willbayleytt) on

While Mercedes Nagyvaradi enjoyed a relaxing day out lavender picking in Hungary:

 

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🤍🌸🤍 #levendulamező

A post shared by Nagyváradi Mercédesz (@nagyvaradimerci) on

General News Tomokazu Harimoto Omar Assar Yang Haeun Truls Moregard Sharath Kamal Achanta Manika Batra Minnie Soo Wai Yam Brian Afanador Yu Mengyu Will Bayley Sarah De Nutte Charlotte Carey Mercedes Nagyvaradi