"When love is all you have to give, you gotta let it persevere through the pain," sang Justin Bieber on his song, "Fearless." Truls Möregårdh might well benefit from these words of wisdom. Today, the 18-year-old Swedish table tennis star underwent surgery on his right knee, and is now facing three painful months of rehabilitation. Not only that, but Möregårdh just so happens to be the spitting image of the Canadian pop star. He even has the artfully tousled coif and smoldering stare down pat. Sweden's top-ranked junior and fifth-ranked male overall at world #104, Möregårdh has been plagued by knee problems for eight years, almost half his young life. A genetic disorder led to a rupture in the cartilage under his kneecap, greatly inhibiting his training and tournament performance. At 14, he underwent his first surgery for the condition, with limited success. "When I had surgery four years ago, it got better but not really good," explains Möregårdh. "I have been tormented with pain for several years and have not been able to fully train in all kinds in all situations even." Owing to a neck injury, Möregårdh took time off from training this year. When he resumed activity, he found the knee had stiffened significantly during the hiatus. "It hurts just when I walk up a flight of stairs and all the time when I train," says Möregårdh. "The injury to the knee has created an imbalance in the body and it has certainly contributed to my other injuries. It is not at all easy to train when you are in constant pain, so now I feel that something must be done about this." Möregårdh has done something indeed, having secured the services of one of Europe's leading knee specialists. "An operation is absolutely necessary and the doctor has said that it is impressive that I have even been able to train ping-pong with this injury," he relates. "Of course it's not fun at all but it's nice to be able to solve this now," continues the optimistic Möregårdh. "I look forward to being able to start exercising and be without pain in the knee, it will only make me better at ping-pong. I will regain mobility, be able to train better and more and do exercises I can not do today." Propelled by his love of table tennis, no doubt Truls Möregårdh will persevere through the pain. We wish him the best on his road to recovery.

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