Chinese table tennis squad departed Beijing on Friday for Suzhou, 10 days before the 2015 World Table Tennis Championship begin in the southeast Chinese city.
Women's singles defending champion Li Xiaoxia did not show up Friday morning due to health issues. She is expected to join the team in Suzhou on Saturday, according to head coach Liu Guoliang.
"We have made a lot of preparations for the tournament. Now we need to get accustomed to the venue and weather there," said Liu.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has allowed players from different associations to form doubles partnership from the 2015 tournament, so one of the highlights of the Suzhou worlds will be China's Ma Long partnering with Timo Boll of Germany in the men's doubles event.
"I expect that Boll and I will pose some challenges to my Chinese teammates in the doubles," Ma said.
Ma, the world's top ranked player, was eager to clinch his first world championship singles title.
"Although Zhang Jike (defending champion) is at the center of attention, my desire for the title has never changed," he said.
The 2015 World Table Tennis Championship is scheduled for April 26 to May 3. A total of 310 male and 238 female players from 100 federations will compete in five categories.
