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Verdonschot and Geraldo strengthen BVB for the coming season
Borussia Dortmund's team for the upcoming season in the Table Tennis Bundesliga is continuing to take shape. Following the return of talented player Wim Verdonschot, the Black and Yellows have signed Portuguese player João Geraldo for their third season in the top flight. The 30-year-old left-hander joins BVB from French top team Angers Vaillante TT.
‘João has a very attractive style of play. I've known him for several years and am convinced that his impeccable character will make him a great fit for our future team and that he can contribute a lot of experience,’ explains coach Evgeny Fadeev. Geraldo has a lot of quality in both singles and doubles, which will allow Dortmund to be even more versatile in the future.
Currently ranked 76th in the world, Geraldo is expected to be the fourth top 100 player in Dortmund's team in the upcoming season. The former European team champion's highest ranking was 35th just over three years ago. Last year, Geraldo won his first international singles title at the WTT Feeder tournament in his hometown of Vila Nova de Gaia.
Eight years after his temporary departure from the Bundesliga, Dortmund is Geraldo's fifth stop in Germany. Most recently, the now veteran player spent two years with the current champions TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen until 2018. Geraldo gained his first experience in the German top flight after playing in the second division for SV Hilpoltstein and TSV Bad Königshofen, before making his first division debut in 2015 with then newcomers ASV Grünwettersbach.
Borussia Dortmund's table tennis players are also delighted about the return of Wim Verdonschot for the coming season. The 20-year-old, who is one of the greatest talents in Germany, describes his move as a ‘homecoming’. ‘I am incredibly grateful for this. Being back at BVB makes me very proud and I am absolutely delighted,’ says Verdonschot.
After his move to Union Velbert in 2024, Verdonschot continued to develop athletically and is now one of the top 100 players in the world. He celebrated his first international title win at the WTT Feeder Tournament in Gdansk last autumn. Now he is signing his first Bundesliga contract with Borussia.
Looking at the club's development, Verdonschot says: ‘It's incredible what has been achieved in Dortmund since the promotion.’ Together with the team, he wants to pursue ambitious goals: ‘We definitely want to make table tennis history at BVB.’ The play-offs are considered a realistic goal for the coming season.
Source: Borussia Dortmund (featured image above: Wim Verdonschot (left) and João Geraldo (right) (photos: BVB))
