GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Zhang Jike: the case for the GOAT

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    Zhang Jike: the case for the GOAT

    China · Born 16 February 1988, Qingdao, Shandong, China · Career 2000s–2010s

    Chinese right-hander with an explosive backhand and fiery temperament, famous for big-match nerve and dramatic celebrations during his peak from 2011 to 2016.

    Career highlights

    Why Zhang Jike could be the GOAT

    Zhang Jike completed the career Grand Slam in just 445 days, the fastest ever, winning the World Championships, World Cup and Olympics in succession. At his peak he was nearly unbeatable when titles were on the line. His explosive backhand changed how the stroke was used in the modern game.

    What fans say

    Zhang Jike is #5 of 18 in the fan ranking, with a 3–1 head-to-head record from 56 Men's table tennis votes. See the full Men's table tennis GOAT ranking

    Zhang Jike head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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    Photo credits

      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.