German legend Timo Boll to retire from international table tennis after Paris 2024

After a 25-year career, Timo Boll is calling it quits from international table tennis.

The German legend's final international commitment will be the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which will be his seventh Olympic Games, allowing him to join an exclusive club.

Boll, who made his first Olympic Games appearance at Sydney 2000, will become only the sixth table tennis player to play at seven different Olympic Games, joining Jörgen Persson, Zoran Primorac, Jean-Michel Saive, Segun Toriola, and Olufunke Oshonaike.

"The time has come. Thank you all for a great journey," Boll wrote on Instagram. In the accompanying video announcing his retirement, he said: "I have spoken often enough in the past about being really afraid of this day, this decision, but it was clear that this day was unavoidable.

"It's time for me to say goodbye to the world stage of active sport. After much, much reflection, I have decided to end my international table tennis career after my seventh Olympic Games.

"I'm really grateful for a career in which I was able to win a lot of tournaments, although winning or losing was not always my top priority."

Boll, who is an eight-time European champion in men's singles, has struggled with injuries in recent years, something he alluded to in his farewell video.

"I was, and I am, part of a sport I love in a special way, but my career has left many marks and my body no longer functions in a way that makes daily training and tournaments fun."

While Boll will step back from the international stage after Paris and no longer compete in World Table Tennis competitions, he will play in the German league for one more year.

"It's not quite over after the Olympics, I will be active for Borussia Düsseldorf for another season until 2025," he said.

Boll has won two Olympic silver medals in the men's team event for Germany and will team up with Dang Qiu and Dmitrij Ovtcharov in that event at Paris 2024.