William Henzell is without a doubt the greatest table tennis player Australia has ever produced. He has won the men’s national championships a record 13 times, consistently been ranked among the top 100 players in the world, and had some fantastic results representing Australia in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, Will released a statement on Facebook announcing his retirement from competitive table tennis. With Rio 2016 Olympic qualification just months away this came as a bit of shock to many table tennis fans. Despite cutting back his training in recent years, Will is still the best player in Australia and everyone would have expected him to qualify for his fourth Olympic Games.

We don’t often get to talk to professional players about their retirement and exit from elite sport. In this episode of the podcast, Will is completely open and honest about his experiences over almost 28 years of table tennis and shares plenty of lessons that I’m sure will help to guide and direct up-and-coming players, or anyone serious about increasing their level.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Will decided to retire at this point in time.

How his motivation and drive has decreased after since London 2012.

How Will started in sport aged 6.

The role of Swedish table tennis in his development.

Some of Will’s regrets looking back over his career.

Why finding a competitive environment is key to success.

How Will managed to transition from sport to the corporate world.

Will’s big lessons/tips for table tennis players.

Why Will believes having good serves is most underrated.

All about the brilliant ttEDGE table tennis training app.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

It was really great to chat to Will Henzell and learn from all of his table tennis wisdom and experience. I hope you will follow his advice and make sure you are in the best environment for the advancement of your table tennis. Look for players and coaches who are all focused on giving 100% in every training session.

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

Also, do check out the new ttEDGE app. The video below will give you a better idea of what it’s all about. I love Brett’s videos!

Please share the show

I know that lots of you guys are regularly sharing the podcast with other table tennis players all over the world. I just want to say thanks for all the help you’ve given me already! Please continue to support the show and subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, share this episode on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mention it to a friend. I appreciate your help so much!

I’ll be back in a month with a new guest and Episode #33 – to be released 1st April 2016.