Member Associations | 19 Aug 2024

Zoltán BÁTORFI joins DTTB as New Assistant National Women's Coach

The coaching team of the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) is getting a boost. Starting on October 1, 49-year-old Hungarian Zoltán BÁTORFI will join as an assistant national coach, supporting national women's coach Tamara BOROS.

"We are excited that Zoltán will officially be part of our team starting in October. As a long-time coach of the Hungarian women's national team and a former player, he brings a tremendous amount of experience. We have known Zoltán for many years, both as a coach and as a former player. He fits well with us both professionally and personally," said DTTB sports director Richard PRAUSE about the Hungarian's appointment.

BÁTORFI is also looking forward to his new role at the German Table Tennis Federation:

"I am a very motivated coach who enjoys working closely with athletes in the training hall. Germany has been the benchmark in European table tennis for many years. It is an incredibly appealing challenge to be able to contribute to the leading nation in the women's sector. I look forward to supporting the more experienced players in their development and helping the younger ones take a successful path into adult competition."

Like his sister Csilla, who won nine gold medals at European Championships and four bronze medals at World Championships, his father István, also a coach, had a significant influence on his sporting career. Zoltán represented his country for six years in the Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships. At the 1996 European Championships in Bratislava, BÁTORFI even competed in mixed doubles alongside his future superior, the then Croatian world-class player and current national women's coach Tamara BOROS.

"It was a short appearance, though, as we lost in the first round," BÁTORFI recalls with a smile, adding, "I’m very confident that Tamy and I will harmonize much better as a coaching duo than in mixed doubles."

The duo has already tested their collaboration during a short period in preparation for the Olympic Games.

After finishing his national team career, the nine-time Hungarian champion in mixed doubles and team events moved to Spain. In Spain, BÁTORFI obtained the highest-level coaching license and began his first coaching position at the traditional club Leka Enea Irun. In 2014, he returned to Hungary as the national coach. Parallel to this, he successfully completed his master's degree in coaching at the University of Pécs, Hungary’s oldest university.

From 2014, Bátorfi coached Hungary’s boys' national team for three years, working with today’s national players Ádám SZUDI and Bence MAJOROS, before being responsible for the women’s national team from 2017 to the end of 2023. The team’s biggest successes during these six years were reaching the semifinals at the European Championships and European Games, as well as qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.