Ma is arguably the best two-winged looper in table tennis history. His serves appear to be traditional pendulum serves, but are some of the most visually deceptive in the world. Ma's playing style is that of the modern strategy of close-range third ball play, as his range of attack is nearly unparalleled. His play strategy is primarily forehand-oriented, choosing to dominate play with powerful forehand loops, reserving the backhand for controlled returns and to set up the forehand. Ma became the youngest world champion at 18 years old after he participated in the 2006 Bremen World Team Championship. Ma developed his foundations under the tutelage of Wang Hao and former Chinese National Team coach Ma Kai Xuan before studying under Qin Zhi Jian.
Despite being the #1 player in the world for much of 2010–2012 stretch he was not chosen to represent China at the 2012 Olympics due to his temporary dip in ratings following a 560-day win streak on the ITTF pro tour when he dropped two matches in upsets by lower rated players. Players were selected based on the ITTF World rankings list. As a result he has not been given an opportunity to win an Olympic medal in singles at the time when he was widely accepted as the best table tennis player in the world. Chinese National Team coach Liu Guoliang remarked that Ma has all the tools necessary to be the best, yet at major tournaments, he has so far lacked sufficient mental toughness to play to his full ability when under pressure. Ma Long has since worked hard to improve his mental focus and performance under pressure. He recently won the gold medal singles title at WTTC 2015 in Suzhou, China.