Cameras are set up in Boo racket hall in Orminge outside Stockholm. The focus is on Truls Möregårdh, who went to the World Cup final in table tennis at the end of November. The 19-year-old, who before the World Cup was in 77th place in the world rankings, lost against Chinese world setter Fan Zhendong in four straight sets but can call himself the second best in the world.
Truls will record a commercial for an energy drink. A sketch is recorded where an employee at the energy drink company wants to play a ping-pong match against the silver medalist, but as part of the sketch, Truls is interrupted by phone calls on repeated occasions whereupon the employee complains that he is never allowed to play.
Materials to be used on the TikTok platform are then filmed. Energy drinks are displayed in selected places by a ping pong table so that Truls can shoot them all down in one go. It does not turn out to be the absolute simplest.
After a couple of tries, he succeeds.
– I’m quite happy with that myself!
The hall is turned off when Truls Möregårdh is to be photographed. He stands in a serve position and stares into the camera. Pictures must also be taken “in action” and then help is needed from Trul’s brother and coach Malte Möregårdh, the ping pong will not be credible otherwise.
– 19-year-old Truls Möregårdh’s life has changed after the World Cup final place in Houston.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
Filmed for two hours and he is photographed. When he’s done, a man arrives with a stack of A4 paper that he wants Truls to sign with his autograph.
The man is none other than Hasse Kroon, who is the youth coach for Boo YMCA and former Swedish national team captain for, among others, Jan-Ove Waldner and Jörgen Persson. The autographs will be handed out in connection with the club’s Christmas closing.
– You are welcome to sign them all, so maybe you will be a little tender in the wrist before your match against Spårvägen, I cheer for them, he says.
Truls Möregårdh points out that he does not have a particularly original autograph. It is joked that football players usually have their own thing or a number in their autograph.
– I only write my first name really.
A few minutes later, all the papers had a crumb clock that said “Truls” on it.
– Truls Möregårdh gets to sign a lot of autographs now. Here, former Swedish national team captain Hasse Kroon’s club ate Boo YMCA.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
Truls get stuck a TV in the cafeteria, it is a replay of the World Cup final against Fan Zhendong that is shown. He analyzes himself and talks about a specific point. His brother Malte, who did not watch TV, gestures when he asks if it was “this” point he meant.
– I have not seen myself on TV like this before. These are mostly the highlights you see, it was mixed feelings to see the match.
He continues about how it felt after the final loss:
– It felt like I won a silver and did not lose a gold, I have said that before. 4-0 unfortunately says the most, but I was still in most sets. I knew he would do sick things in the end, he deals with more than the others did. He was just better, he is world number one for a reason.
– Truls Möregårdh feels that other players in the world elite have come closer to the Chinese top names.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
China dominates big in the ping-pong world. Chinese players have taken all but one World Cup gold since JO Waldner won the World Cup in Manchester in 1997. The amount of top Chinese players makes the World Cup the toughest tournament as each country has to bring five players. A maximum of two players from each country can participate in the Olympics.
This summer, 33-year-old Ma Long won Olympic gold after meeting Fan Zhendong in the final. Ma Long was not even in the World Cup squad as China wants to make a generational change.
– It’s completely sick what I did and I’m very proud of myself. The Chinese are so damn good but have lost a bit, many pressed them in the World Cup and regardless of whether only Timo Boll (the German that Truls defeated in the World Cup semi-final) won against a Chinese, it is noticeable that they are stressed.
The conditions are also different.
Fan Zhendong had a stable of the world’s best table tennis players with him that he could train with, I trained with Jörgen Persson (the national team captain). Everyone ran around and picked up balls for Fan Zhendong, which was completely sick.
Truls Möregårdh is in Stockholm to play in the Swedish table tennis league against the legendary Jan-Ove Waldner’s old club Spårvägen BTK. The club is trained by another ping pong legend, Mikael “Äpplet” Appelgren.
– I land more and more every day, the ping-pong league is different, there is pressure on me now that I will win these matches, says Truls.
– People expect it but it is clear that I can lose, I am only human.
– The hexagonal racket that Truls Möregårdh played with in the WC has attracted a lot of attention.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
Since he took World Cup silver on November 30, life has changed. He likes the new attention.
– Life is a bit crazy now and there has been a lot of media, a lot of attention and more “fame” than I thought. When I was in Houston it was one big bubble, I did not really understand how big what I did is. When I got home it hit hard.
– People from other cities recognize me in grocery stores and restaurants now. It’s special, they come up and congratulate me.
When we talk should he will be in After Five on TV4 in the evening, the next day there will be a match and then there will be participants in Musikhjälpen. On New Year’s Day, he will be in Nyhetsmorgon, then there will be an early ascent.
– This is going to be a sick trip, everyone wants to get hold of me now that I’m in Stockholm. I have started to enter the world of being a star, I have to market myself.
– Many people may want to get hold of me because I have a fun personality too?
Success means a newfound status.
In addition to his big brother and coach Malte, Truls has another big brother, Elis Möregårdh. He does not care about ping pong, which helps Truls not to float away.
– I called him after my first Swedish Championship gold and said that I won and then he just answered “but you should do that?”. He took me down to earth right away, it’s good that someone does.
The World Cup silver was something else.
– He completely shit in ping-pong but now he was also impressed. Then you know that you have done something good! says Truls laughing.
– Truls Möregårdh wants everything to be just as usual after the World Cup silver.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
Truls Möregårdh believes that he will not change anything in his life. Despite a silver medal in a world championship, everything should be just as usual.
– Quite simply, I should just be myself. Be with friends and talk the same way I always did.
It’s easier said than done when it is partly the friends who think it’s fun to hang out with a “world star”.
– People come up and say congratulations to me even when I am with my friends. Then they make a funny thing out of it, that I would kind of be the worst world celebrity, even though I’m not. I’m allowed to take it a bit as a joke too.
It’s a joke a lot during the commercial recording. When Malte Möregårdh gets the directives to stretch and look Truls in the eye, Malte takes the opportunity to send a smirk.
– You have the hell the world’s longest neck, says Malte to Truls.
Truls stretches to the other side to demonstrate.
– Malte Möregårdh handles planning and schedule when Truls plays matches.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
In addition to being Trul’s coach, Malte Möregårdh helps with practical things such as schedules and planning. When DN calls to book the meeting, you hear how Truls turns to his brother to know what times might be appropriate.
It is his job to know.
– Someone has to keep an eye on him, says Malte Möregårdh.
Truls does not hold really agree that it would be part of Malta’s job description.
– No … I do not know if I think so, we keep an eye on each other. Now that it’s ping pong matches, I want to disconnect everything around, otherwise I get too stressed by it, so Malte has to keep track of it.
He only sees the benefits of having his brother as a coach. His father also helps him with the mental part, and it is noticeable that he values their tips.
– The two are the only ones who dare to say what they think and think. It’s not that Malte is kind just because, he says I’m bad if I’m bad.
– Not all coaches dare to say what they think, especially Swedish coaches can be a bit “you are so good” even though it does not mean it.
The day of the match has come, Eslöv towards Spårvägen. It is noticeable that the silver medalist is in place – Liljeholmshallen is full. VIP chairs are around the table where Truls Möregårdh will play and a lot of media is in place.
His first match is interrupted in the first set due to the opponent feeling sick and Truls is hugely disappointed.
– Truls Möregårdh is depressed together with his brother Malte after the first match was canceled.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
The second match is directly decisive and Spårvägen’s Harald Andersson puts a lot of pressure on him. Truls eventually wins 3-2 in sets and takes home the victory for Eslöv.
During the victory interview, his octagon-shaped racket remains on a chair. A flock of children gathers around it.
– I do not dare, says one of the children.
– Yes, come on, says another.
They can not recover, it does not take long before all the children have touched his racket.