Jonathan Groth
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-2 Jonathan Groth is a 6'0" Danish ping pong player born on 9 November 1992. He's one of the few Danes who've played for their country at the Olympics, including at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. While he couldn't take home a medal, it's impressive that he got as far as he did, especially with the caliber of Chinese competition at these events. Nevertheless, he has a much more impressive record in his home and other European games. If you're a fan, here's a profile detailing his achievements, style of play, social media presence, and anything else there is to know about him.
Quick Facts
Biography
Unlike most other players of his caliber, not much is known about Jonathan Groth's early life. However, he burst onto the professional ping-pong-playing scene in 2008, just before he turned 17. By November of that year, he was among the top 1000 ranked ping pong players worldwide.
He then went on to be one of his country's most decorated ping pong players, even making two appearances at the Olympics. Groth spent much of his career in the German Bundesliga, where he played for different clubs and often took home a medal or two.
His career would take him to the Russian table tennis club UMMC in 2019, where he spent a few years before moving on to Italy. While in Russia, he and his teammates won two Champions League medals, i.e., a silver and a bronze.
He got married to his long-time girlfriend Anne in 2021 and, in the same year, moved from Russia to Italy's UMMC.
Personal Life
Jonathan married his wife Anne in a beautiful ceremony in Bordeaux, France 2021, and had been dating her for a couple of years before they finally tied the knot. While it's unclear when they officially started dating, the two had been an item since at least 2014.
Social Media
Jonathan Groth is not social media shy and has been posting regularly on his Instagram page @jonathangroth92 for a long time. While the Dane does have a Facebook page, it's been nowhere near as active as his Instagram.
Career
Jonathan Groth joined the German Club TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt in 2012. He played there until he broke into the top 100 ranked players in 2015. After that, he joined TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau.
He would then participate in his first Olympics in Rio 2016, coming in 17th in the men's singles after being knocked out by Ma Long. Ma Long would then go on to win the gold and become the most decorated Olympic ping pong player, with five gold medals from three different Olympics.
For context, there was a total of 86 male table tennis players at the Olympics that year participating in four different events.
As for Groth, 2016 saw him win the doubles event at the European championships.
Aside from playing for his country, Jonathan Groth is a five-time Danish champion and has won other accolades in his club career.
For instance, in the 2016/17 Bundesliga season, he was part of the TTC Rhön-Sprudel Fulda-Maberzell club that won the silver in the German Bundesliga. His personal record for that season was seven wins and just as many losses.
In the 2017/18 season, he saw an improved tally of 13 wins and eight losses, but the team only got a bronze in the Bundesliga. Other clubs that Groth has played for include Russia's and Italy's UMMC.
While in Russia, his team won the silver in the Champions League in 2019 and the Champions League bronze in 2021, thanks in part to his contribution. After all, his performance saw him get gold in 2019 and silver in 2021.
Playing Style
Jonathan Groth is a left-handed player who often tosses high during the serve. After that, he might direct the ball down the edge or across the table, depending on his opponent's positioning.
He prefers the forehand when he needs more power but is not averse to using his backhand to return the ball when necessary.
He also likes to stay on the right side of the table so he can direct his hits more effectively with his left. However, depending on how the game progresses, he will move further left.
It can be hard to move effectively from side to side like him if you don't have good table tennis shoes. As such, if you want to incorporate more side-to-side movement in your game, our list of the best table tennis shoes can help you find the right pair.
You'll also need lots of practice, and if you often find yourself alone, a table tennis robot can help you practice the different scenarios you think you might find in-game. Fortunately, we've listed the best ping-pong robots for those who want to get better at the game fast.
Achievements
Here are some of Jonathan Groth's achievements in various events.
Singles
- 2012 Danish Championship, Odense – Gold
- 2013 Danish Championship, Odense – Gold
- 2014 Danish Championship, Odense – Gold
- 2015 Danish Championship, Odense – Gold
- 2016 Danish Championship, Odense – Gold
- 2017 Croatia Open, Zagreb – Bronze
- 2018 Europe Top 16 Cup – Montreaux - Bronze
- 2023 Danish Championship, Søborg - Silver
Men's doubles
- 2010 European Championship, Ostrava – Silver
- 2016 European Championship, Budapest – Gold
- 2016 Austrian Open, Linz – Gold
- 2017 Korea Open, Incheon – Silver
- 2017 Czech Open, Olomouc – Gold
- 2018 Hungarian Open, Budapest – Bronze
- 2018 Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong - Bronze
- 2018 European Championship, Alicante – Bronze
- 2018 Czech Open, Olomouc - Gold
Mixed doubles
N/A
Team
- 2009 European Championship, Stuttgart -Silver
- 2021 European Championship, Cluj-Napoca – Bronze
Jonathan Groth's Ranking History
As mentioned above, Jonathan Groth broke into the World Table Tennis top 1000 in 2008 as he turned 17. What followed was a fairly slow ascent into the top 100, which he managed in 2015, just before his birthday. Between September and October of that year, he jumped from 110th in the world to 80.
April 2018 saw him get into the top 20 for the first time in position 18. His highest ranking was 15th globally, and he got there in November 2018. After that, he seemed to have a dip in form that saw him drop slowly in the rankings, and by April 2023, he was ranked 53rd Worldwide.
Jonathan Groth Equipment
Videos
Final Thoughts
Overall, Jonathan Groth has had a pretty eventful table tennis career and continues to play at the highest levels. Only time will tell how much more he goes on to achieve as a player.