Ivor Ban: The table tennis star from Bad Homburg conquers the league!

Ivor Ban: The table tennis star from Bad Homburg conquers the league!

The table tennis Bundesliga has a new hero: Ivor Ban, player of the TTC OE Clarity Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg, was named “TTBL Player of the Month for November”. The 22-year-old Croatian owes this award to an impressive performance in the current season. In a poll in which numerous fans took part, Ban received 70% of the votes, clearly beating his fellow contestants, including celebrities such as Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Dang Qiu. The voting period included match days seven to nine and two WTT tournaments, a real test for the athletes. tischtennis.de reports.

Ban has settled in well in Bad Homburg and is enthusiastic about the support of his trainer Helmut Hampl. The move to the German league was a big step for him, because after three years in the Austrian first division, he is now bringing his experience to the TTBL, which he describes as the strongest league in Europe. This decision was not made without reason, as Hampl and Sven Rede, the club's sporting director, played a key role in driving the change forward. Ban said: “Everything feels good in Bad Homburg.”

Successes and challenges

Ivor Ban has already been able to provide decisive impetus for his team in the current season. Among other things, he made a significant contribution to the 3-2 quarter-final win against Borussia Düsseldorf and celebrated notable victories, both in singles against Andre Bertelsmeier and in doubles against 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT and in the cup against Dang Qiu. These successes are particularly notable as Ban was initially only able to make a limited start to the season - a hip operation in May had delayed his preparation.

But the young athlete remains calm and relies on his talents. Despite his world ranking position above 300, he emphasizes the irrelevance of this number for his performance on the field. But he doesn't just tell his true success story on the field: Ban made his debut for the Croatian national team at the Team World Cup in Croatia in October, which represents another milestone for him.

A completely new beginning

Ivor Ban comes from Zagreb and has been practicing table tennis for 16 years - a passion that has already taken him to the Champions League. For him, the move to Germany not only brings with it sporting challenges, but also new living conditions. Together with Croatians who live in Bad Homburg, he is exploring his new home and has already discovered that the league quality and salaries in Germany are significantly higher than in Croatia.

His current living situation is special: Ban lives in a hotel sponsored by the club and enjoys the support of his club colleagues and the coaching team. He is also happy with the city of Bad Homburg and thanks his new teammates for their warm welcome. The mix of talented, young players and a strong support team gives Ivor Ban hope for a successful season.

Overall, it seems as if Ivor Ban, with his commitment and positive attitude, is well on his way to establishing himself as an outstanding figure in the table tennis Bundesliga. Let's stay excited to see what the rest of the season will bring.