SOLJA Petrissa

Grip
Shakehand (ITTF, 02 Aug 2016)

Style of play
Attack (ITTF, 02 Aug 2016)

General
'PERFECT' MIXED DOUBLES PARTNER
She and mixed doubles partner Patrick Franziska secured a qualification spot for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo with their gold medal at the 2019 European Games in Minsk, Belarus. They first competed together in mixed doubles at a major tournament at the 2013 World Championships in Paris, France, before teaming up again from 2018 onwards. He describes their partnership as 'perfect'. "We have known each other for a very long time and everything works well. We harmonise well in terms of play," Franziska said. "Petrissa is left-handed and can read the game really well. She plays at the opponents so well that I only have to finish the job. It is really very easy to play a match with her. Peti and I obviously also get along outside of the hall. We have a lot of fun, and I think that ensures that we are a perfect match." (DTTB YouTube channel, 20 Aug 2019)

REPRESENTING GERMANY
She was born and raised in Germany along with her older sister Amelie. However, early in her career a German national coach suggested that they did not have the potential to represent Germany at the highest level, so the two sisters applied for citizenship in Austria, as their grandmother is from there. Her sister applied first and was successful, leading her to represent Austria throughout her career. Just before Petrissa's application was finalised, there was a change in German national coaches and she was persuaded to continue representing her nation of birth. "I played from a very young age for Germany and feel like I am a German, so I was very pleased." (morgenpost.de, 11 Jan 2016)

OVERCOMING CANCER
She fractured her femur [thigh bone] in a fall at age eight, and while undergoing treatment doctors found a cancerous cyst in her bone. "It started with knee pains and when I slipped and broke the bone I was taken to hospital and needed an emergency operation. I had five operations during that time and the tumour came back once. I spent a long time in a wheelchair. It was a hard time for everyone, but my family gave me a lot of strength. It certainly made me older and more mature. The reason why I am happy to speak about it is because I am an elite athlete and have fans who want to emulate me, and I hope that my story can help some younger and older fans who might be facing similar problems." (swrfernsehen.de, 26 Apr 2019)

MOTORHOME
Growing up, she used to travel in a motorhome with her father to tournaments. She would sit in the car and do her homework, while her father drove. She later bought her own mobile home which she travels in to tournaments when possible. "Usually I park directly in front of the competition hall. Often we have very long days at competitions, so I can go straight to the vehicle between games and rest." (rnf.de, 31 Jan 2020)

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro she and teammates Ying Han and Xiaona Shan won a silver medal in the women's team event, which was Germany's first ever Olympic medal in women's table tennis. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Mar 2020)