Member Associations | 22 Dec 2022

Petrissa SOLJA announces retirement: „For me, it was the perfect career"

Petrissa SOLJA is quitting pofessional table tennis at the age of 28. It is the end of a picture-perfect career, but as she emphasises, not a retirement in the heat of the moment. The step was well-considered, the decision matured over many weeks. After 51 international matches for Germany, it is the end of her career in the national team and also in Bundesliga.

For ten years, "Peti" SOLJA was an indispensable part of the German national team. In 2016, she won Olympic silver with the team. In 2017 and 2019, she took World Cup bronze in mixed. She came third at the prestigious World Cup in Japan in 2015. She brought home three gold medals from the European Games, won the Europe Top 16 twice and reached the final two additional times. Among her eight European Championships' medals, six are golden. She won the well-deserved individual title at the 2020/21 continental championships in Warsaw. She had already become the German individual champion in 2015 and had previously won everything there was to win in Germany and Europe in her junior years.

Fantastic feeling for the ball, brillant understanding of the game, great fighting spirit

She was one of the few Europeans who could even threaten the leading Chinese players. The lefty thrilled the fans with her fantastic feeling for the ball, her very good understading of the game and her impeccable technique, paired with a great fighting spirit. In 2015, for example, "the backhand boss" literally ran from table to table at the German Open, reached the final in three competitions - U21 singles, women's doubles and singles. In the end, she won two titles. She thus played a total of 15 matches in the Bremen Arena and won 14. 

The WTT Champions Tournament in Hungary in July was to be her last international appearance. She had to cancel her participation in the home European Championships in Munich in August because an old injury to her intervertebral disc had reappeared. During the compulsory break she had a lot of time to think, she says. And after 25 years with the fastest racket sport on earth, she realised for the first time that "I didn't miss table tennis at all. I am now ready for something new". On tischtennis.de, Petrissa Solja explains her motives in detail:

Petrissa SOLJA:

"I am ending my career. I am very relieved and looking forward to my next stage in life.

It was a long process until I made this decision. It was definitely not a decision in the heat of the moment. Table tennis has been my life for as long as I can remember. In the oldest table tennis photo, I am one and a half years old. When I was three, I stood on tiptoe to be able to look over the table. When I was five, I was finally tall enough.

When I was twelve, I became the German U15 girls singles Champion for the first time, without losing a single game. When I was 14, I started playing in the 1st Bundesliga. It went on and on up for me.

I always did all my work conscientiously and with all my heart. But now I have listened to my heart and realised: I need a radical cut. I'm no longer playing in the national team or the Bundesliga. I have always been consistent. Either I do one thing 100 per cent or not at all.

I have achieved everything I can in sport, and in some cases even the impossible. I have won medals at the Olympic Games, European Games, World Championships, at the World Cup, at the Europe Top 16, the German National Championships in singles and most recently I also became the European champion in women's singles. I am also a multiple national champion at club level and a three-time Champions League winner. My collection is complete. What could still come now would be retakes.

Successes for life

My career has progressed step by step since I was a child. Of course, I had big dreams, but I tried to approach them with small steps. I have understood that I have great potential and can achieve great success. But everything starts with the first small step.

What was the moment I will never forget? There were so many beautiful moments. Many will find it unusual, but: in my mind, when I ask myself this question, the day when I became the German Champion in women's singles immediately comes to mind.

As a little girl, I never thought of becoming an Olympic or World Champion. As a young player, the German Championships were much more tangible for me.

It is difficult to win this title. To succeed everything has to be absolutely perfect on this single weekend. It was a great moment for me to win there. By the way, I was also really proud of the really big and really heavy trophy as German U15 girls singles Champion. It still has a special place in my trophy collection.

I also had many great memories with my teammates, in doubles and mixed doubles. I always enjoyed to play World Team Championships. That was my favourite tournament because it was always super fun. I enjoyed competing with my team. We always hoped for a medal with our national team, but we were never the favourite. At World Team Championships, I was able to perform really well and I like to remember the 2016 World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, for example. We sensationally beat Japan and South Korea there.

The 2013 European Championships in Schwechat, too, are on my mind. I was already able to play really well, but I was still young and had to learn a lot. Nevertheless, Sabine Winter and I managed to win the doubles title in addition to team gold. We had already won the doubles title the year before at the German Open in Bremen in 2012, and the hall was rocking. I loved playing in front our home crowd. I was definitely able to show my best performances then. I always fought for my life there and, like in Bremen 2015, I even beat a few Chinese players. I hope for our current national team players that they can experience moments like I did at the German Open. That was magical. German Open were always great!

Winning the bronze medal in mixed doubles with Patrick Franziska at the 2019 World Championships was very special. Another great moment was winning the gold medal with him at the European Games. This allowed us to secure one of the few entries at the Olympic Games in the mixed competition.

The European singles title in Warsaw from 2020 was an achievement which was missing in my collection for quite a while. I had already won a few golds in doubles and with the team before. At my Bundesliga club in Langstadt, they had a huge poster printed. When I'm looking at it, it still makes me proud and happy.

"Silver medal at the Rio Olympics - 17 years of preparation"

Of course, when I think of my greatest successes, I remember the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, when we won the silver medal with the team. I will never forget the relief when we scord the match ball against Japan in the semi-final. In 2016, after the Olympic silver medal in Rio, I said in an interview: "Today I am standing here with the silver medal. There were 17 years of preparation beforehand.

Competitive sport is very intense. You give up a lot, even in your school days. The first person I saw on my 18th birthday was the doping control officer early in the morning.

For me, it was still just right. I may not have had the same experiences at a young age as my peers, but I got a lot of other things in return.

"I have had the perfect career"

I have always been a passionate table tennis player, but I realised more and more that table tennis was no longer my absolute priority, that it was no longer the most important thing in my life. Table tennis always used to be my first priority. I subordinated everything to the sport. I had my goals and always wanted to achieve a lot. At some point I discovered other beautiful things in life.

After a break of a few months, I know: I had the perfect career. It's now time for a change! Many people take a new step professionally at some point. I only know table tennis and I grew up with it. Table tennis will always be a part of me. Competitive sport was clearly the right path for me.

In 2018, I started studying Business Psychology. Psychology interests me a lot. So far my focus was of course always on my sporting table tennis career, yet I have already completed a third of my studies. It's fun to learn new things, even if it's not so great having to write 30 pages for a term paper. I will continue to collect my credit points and then graduate.

I'm especially looking forward to the time when I can be present at my friends' birthdays and be no longer airborne or selecting balls somewhere in the world instead. There are many little things I am looking forward to the most.

"Appreciation for my decision"

I was not sure how those around me would react to my decision. In the end, it was nice for me to see and feel that I have received entirely positive reactions from all sides so far. Everyone was very surprised, but very respectful. 

Other feedback would not have changed my decision, but I am a very harmony-seeking person. Therefore, it was important for me to end my career amicably towards people I highly appreciate. If we meet again somewhere, whether it's the DTTB, my club, the Bundeswehr as I am a military athlete or a sponsor, I want us to look forward to seeing each other. That is personally very important to me.

I will definitely keep in touch with one or the other. Very certainly I will drive to Düsseldorf again with my camper van and my dog Balu and park in front of our national training centre as usually. After all, my 'table tennis family' was the reason why it wasn't easy for me to say goodbye. I missed the people more than the sport during my break. We had many nice moments together and grew together. I'm glad that I met so many great people through sport.

"I'm looking forward to life after competitive sport".

I'm not fooling myself: I'm sure it will take a few more days before I fully realise which major step I've taken. I have also learned through sport that I can handle difficult situations well. We are not only taught how to play forehand and backhand topspin, but also how to deal with such demanding moments. I can say with utter conviction: For me, it was the perfect career. I am very proud of myself.

I am looking forward to life after competitive sport and to gaining new experiences. Through my sport, I have been able to provide a solid basis for my future life. I can try out many things. Of course I have a plan, but how it will turn out remains to be seen. I am very much looking forward to the new phase of my life.

I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who has accompanied me on my journey so far.

Sincerely yours Petrissa"