Joo Sae-hyuk was born in Seoul, South Korea on January 20, 1980.[5] He stands 180 cm tall, and weighs 68 kg.[1] He first started competing when he was 8 years old. He joined the national team in 2001, and fans began taking an interest in him for his dynamic defensive style.
Between April and May 2012, Joo Sae-hyuk was diagnosed with Behçet's disease, Although Behcet's disease is known to be incurable, it appears that Joo Sae-hyuk is still performing well. On the medical side, Joo Sae-hyuk relies on glucocorticoids to manage his disease.
Style of Play
Joo Sae-hyuk has helped revive the popularity of the defensive style at the professional level.[6] He is one of the few top-ranked players in the world (position 5 in 2012)[7] to play a primarily defensive style, repeatedly returning the ball with heavy backspin on both wings.[8] This has led many to dub him the best defensive player of all time.[8] At the same time, he has a powerful topspin forehand that he uses to counterattack when the opportunity may arise.[8] As with many defenders, his long rallies and entertaining style of play have made him a fan favourite. He is one of several foreign players in recent years to challenge China's dominance over the sport.[6] Despite his age, he is still going strong on the tour.
Rankings
Since June 2003, the International Table Tennis Federation has consistently ranked Joo Sae-hyuk as one of the 40 best table tennis players in the world after he defeated Ma Lin. Since July 2006, he has been consistently ranked in the ITTF's top 20. His peak rating was at #5, in March 2012.[9]
