TTBL: Samuel Walker, Grenzau agree to one-year contract extension

Samuel Walker and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau have agreed to a one-year contract extension, the club announced in a press release on Thursday.

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Walker's new deal will keep him in Grenzau for his fifth season with the club. The deal comes just one season after both he and Luka Mladenovic (No. 43) agreed to one-year extensions with Grenzau in Feb. 2025.

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“Sam is immensely important to us, both athletically and [as a] human,” Grenzau chairman Olaf Gstettner said, per the release. “He is a valuable part of our team, in singles and doubles.”

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The 30-year-old ranks as Table Tennis Bundesliga’s No. 65 player with an individual record of 2:6 this season. Those two wins came against TSV Bad Königshofen's Bastian Steger (No. 10) and SV Werder Bremen’s Kirill Gerassimenko (No. 11).

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Walker is now the third player to extend with Grenzau in February, following recent new deals for Feng Yi-Hsin (No. 21) and Maciej Kubik (No. 75). Both Feng and Kubik are under 24 years old, making Walker’s veteran presence indispensable for their development.

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“He takes responsibility, exemplifies professionalism and is an important mentor for our younger players,” Gstettner said.

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This is the latest of many decisions that Grenzau has already made ahead of their 2026-27 season. In addition to extending Walker, Feng and Kubik, Grenzau announced that Chen Zhibin will replace Slobodan Grujic as head coach starting this summer.

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Grenzau snapped a five-match losing streak on Feb. 15, after defeating Post SV Mühlhausen 3-2. They currently rank as the Bundesliga’s 11th seed with a 5-12 record and a point differential of 10:24, but Walker and his club are excited for a future they’ve already started planning out with his extension.

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“I feel very comfortable in Grenzau and am happy to continue to be part of this team,” Walker said. “We have an exciting mix in the team, and I want to make my contribution, in singles, doubles, and also next to the table.”

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Grenzau will play its next match on March 18 against TTC OE Clarity-Tel.Syst.Bad Homburg at 2 p.m. EST.