Tournament Winner
Nguyen Anh Tu continues to affirm himself as the number one male table tennis player in Vietnam today. The result is proven when Nguyen Anh Tu just won the Men's Singles Championship at the 2024 National Excellent Table Tennis Players Tournament. In the same year, Nguyen Anh Tu won the Men's Singles Gold Medal at the 2024 National Table Tennis Championship, the Men's Singles Gold Medal at the 2024 National Strong Teams Tournament. Looking back at the history of Vietnamese table tennis, the most recent person to win three Gold Medals in three important tournaments in the same year was former national player Vu Manh Cuong (the last time he achieved the result was in 1998). After 26 years, Nguyen Anh Tu achieved such a result.
Coaches Le Huy and Vu Van Trung of the Hanoi Table Tennis Team have been coaching Nguyen Anh Tu since his first days in table tennis. The two coaches commented: “Nguyen Anh Tu is a talented player. Most importantly, in tournaments, Anh Tu has prepared thoroughly, is always careful in his skills and has high determination. Fortunately, Anh Tu has achieved results in many important tournaments to affirm himself.”
2024 is a year of professional success for Nguyen Anh Tu. The Hanoi player has won all the Gold Medals in the men's singles in the official tournaments of the national system, but importantly, Anh Tu was called up to the National Team to participate in the Olympic qualifying round and compete in the Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championship. In the 2024 Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championship, Nguyen Anh Tu won the Silver Medal in the men's singles.
Coming to table tennis at the age of 8, Nguyen Anh Tu once said that he never thought he would achieve success in many tournaments but only hoped that practicing table tennis would help improve his health. However, after the generation of famous seniors such as Vu Manh Cuong, Doan Kien Quoc, Tran Tuan Quynh, Dinh Quang Linh... retired, Nguyen Anh Tu became the most prominent male face of Vietnamese men's table tennis in the past 10 years. Anh Tu has won all the SEA Games, Southeast Asian, and national championships. However, the player shared: "Table tennis is my passion, I always want to achieve many successes with it. In each tournament, I accumulate many things and always set goals to develop better."
Waiting for the SEA Games Men's Singles Gold Medal
Nguyen Anh Tu's above sharing is partly understood from his professional concern to still find the Gold Medal for men's singles at the SEA Games. In his career, Nguyen Anh Tu has won 2 Gold Medals at the SEA Games including the results of the men's team event (SEA Games in 2017), men's doubles (SEA Games in 2019). However, professionals and each athlete clearly understand that the Gold Medal for the individual event is always the most prestigious.
Nguyen Anh Tu had two chances to make that happen, but unfortunately missed it. At the 31st SEA Games (May 2022) held in Vietnam, Anh Tu reached the men's singles semi-finals but stopped and received a Bronze Medal. At the 32nd SEA Games (May 2023), Anh Tu entered the men's singles final. That was the first time this player entered the men's singles final, and experts expected him to win, but Nguyen Anh Tu still did not succeed. In Cambodia, after losing the men's singles final, Nguyen Anh Tu could not hide his sadness and confided: "I really regret it. I tried. Every final is decisive and winning the men's singles final is never easy."
In the history of Vietnamese table tennis through the SEA Games, only 3 players have successfully won the Gold Medal in the men's singles table tennis: Vu Manh Cuong, Tran Tuan Quynh and Nguyen Duc Tuan. For Nguyen Anh Tu, the opportunity is still ahead.
“In 2024, I participated in many tournaments to improve my skills. I learned a lot in each tournament. In 2025, Vietnamese table tennis will continue to participate in many international arenas, of which the 33rd SEA Games is very important. I am determined for this tournament,” Nguyen Anh Tu expressed. A year later, Vietnamese table tennis will continue its journey of professional preparation for the 33rd SEA Games and Nguyen Anh Tu will certainly be the main force in the men's event. At this time, the Hanoi player has gone to the US to participate in the 2024 US Open International Table Tennis Tournament. Nguyen Anh Tu is participating in the tournament for the first time in his career and above all, the Vietnamese professional table tennis manager wants to create the best conditions for the players (including Nguyen Anh Tu) to develop further.
Always set high goals to conquer
When Nguyen Anh Tu was taken to practice table tennis by his family, he was a small boy. That is why the nickname "Little Tu" has been associated with Nguyen Anh Tu throughout his table tennis career. Anh Tu smiled and said that he always tries his best to practice and improve his professional skills every year and is never satisfied with the results he has achieved. "The coaches always keep me in the best condition during competition and I learn a lot from them, especially that I have to have a goal for my achievements and not be satisfied with myself in order to get better results," Anh Tu said.
In Nguyen Anh Tu, professionals always appreciate the discipline in training and professional diligence. Witnessing the training sessions of the Vietnam Table Tennis Team, everyone clearly saw that after the training session, Anh Tu often stayed behind to practice more physical strength and prepare himself. Former Chinese expert - Du Chi Quoc of Vietnam Table Tennis once assessed Anh Tu as one of the few players who maintained the professional style of Vietnamese table tennis. This teacher affirmed that if he could develop in a professional environment with many high-level tournaments, Anh Tu would easily improve his level.
However, Anh Tu is always humble and rarely talks about himself. Despite having many professional achievements, Nguyen Anh Tu almost never appears in the media. The tennis player shared that he only wants to focus on his profession and his passion for table tennis, along with tournaments. In 2022, in Bangkok (Thailand), Nguyen Anh Tu entered the men's singles final at the Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championship but lost the match.
Two years later, in Malaysia recently, Nguyen Anh Tu continued to enter the men's singles finals of the Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championship but also lost regrettably. In both finals, Anh Tu said he did not blame anything but felt a little regretful for not being successful in the decisive points. Nguyen Anh Tu won the Gold Medal in the men's singles at the 2016 Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championship.
This tennis player always maintains his determination and great will for the national flag every time he competes abroad to bring glory to the Fatherland. At the age of 31, Nguyen Anh Tu has many medals in his career at all levels in Southeast Asia, domestically, but Tu "mau" still wants to achieve more high results, especially at the 33rd SEA Games. If he succeeds at the 33rd SEA Games, Nguyen Anh Tu will complete his professional career.
