Fan Zhendong Clinches TTBL February Fan Vote, Becomes First Two-Time Winner

Fan Zhendong received the most votes in a TTBL social media poll and was confirmed as the league’s Player of the Month for February, TTBL (TTBL Redaktion), 5 March 2026, published on its site. The Olympic champion and two-time world champion picked up the fan award after a month that included the WTT Star Contender in Chennai and three TTBL rounds leading up to the vote.

TTBL put five candidates up for the fan vote, listed in alphabetical order: Benedikt Duda, TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt; Fan Zhendong, 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT; Kirill Gerassimenko, Werder Bremen; Anton Källberg, Borussia Düsseldorf; and Shunsuke Togami, TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen. TTBL’s announcement noted the selection was decided via social media and did not publish raw vote totals; the league reported simply, “Fan received the most votes.”

The league framed Fan’s February performance as a mixed picture for 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT: “with his clean slate in the league matches for 1. FC Saarbrücken last month, but without a ‘big point’ and even despite his defeats in his team's second Champions League quarter-final against GV Hennebont, the Olympic champion won the ‘Player of the Month for February’ vote by a large margin.” That clean slate in TTBL play contrasted with losses in the Champions League quarter-final ties against GV Hennebont.

TTBL emphasized Fan’s draw and profile inside the German league, writing, “Fan Zhendong has clearly taken on the role of a literal front-runner in the TTBL community.” Fan underscored that popularity in an interview with Florian Manzke when he said, “I feel enthusiasm and respect everywhere I go.” The interview quoted Fan adding that he enjoys the enthusiasm for the sport and “looks forward to every game,” highlighting the ticket interest and club buzz around his appearances.

Historically the February win makes Fan the first player in the current TTBL season to collect the fan vote twice: “Fan is the first player to win a fan vote for ‘Player of the Month’ for the second time, after the Chinese player was already named ‘Player of the Month’ last December.” TTBL credited that prior December selection and flagged Fan’s ongoing influence across the season.

Off the table, 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT has submitted an offer to Fan Zhendong regarding his future with the Blue and Blacks, and the club is taking a patient approach. Team manager Barrois told TTBL, “You don't set deadlines for a player and person like Fan Zhendong,” and added, “Even if he only tells us he wants to stay on the last day before the transfer deadline, then he'll stay.” TTBL did not disclose terms of the offer or vote totals.

The announcement and interview ran on the TTBL site with interview material by Florian Manzke and a featured image credited to Hermann Zacher, placing Fan’s fan-vote win in the wider context of league news ahead of the coming rounds and cup events.