Meet the man who put Egypt on the world table tennis map — Omar Assar

Clear-eyed focus: Assar says he tends to ‘erase the slate’ quickly after tournaments, so he can look ahead and concentrate on climbing up the ranks. | Photo credit: Getty Images

Globetrotting star: Assar’s success around the world — including at the UTT in India — has raised his global profile. | Photo credit: Special Arrangement

“Had I not been a table tennis player, I would have been a table tennis fan. I cannot imagine having done anything that was not associated with table tennis.”