Robert Gardos has had an enviable career by any standard. At the 1993 European Youth Championships, playing for his native Hungary, the then-14-year-old won gold in singles and mixed doubles. Dissatisfied with the Hungarian team's coaching, Gardos took his talents to Austria, where he became a citizen. Due to the switch, he was suspended from international competition for three years. Gardos has since risen as high as #18 in the world rankings, winning two doubles titles European Championships along the way, as well as a team title in 2015. Still, for a player of that caliber, something is missing. In any sport, success is measured in terms of wins and losses. In his decades of work on the ITTF World Tour, Gardos has yet to claim a title. He has come agonizingly close. At the 2006 ITTF World Tour Chile Open in Santiago, he was edged in the final by no less than fellow European evergreen Vladimir Samsonov. At the 2018 ITTF Challenge Spanish Open, was again runner-up, this time to Kim Minhyeok of South Korea. Just over a month ago, Gardos claimed silver at the 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Nigerian Open, the elusive gold being claimed by Quadri Aruna in front of the latter's home crowd. Such was the back story for Gardos as he set out for the 2019 Challenge Paraguay Open. At 40, time is not on his side as the window of opportunity to claim an ITTF singles title slowly but inexorably closes. Once again, he fought his way to the final, raising hopes but also nagging doubts. Facing Japan's Masataka Morizono, 24, Gardos enjoyed a significant advantage in experience but fleetness of foot favored the former. Despite the different setting, the result was the same: Morizono claimed the title with a decisive (11-6, 12-10, 11-2, 11-9) scoreline. Perspective is essential when evaluating such results. Gardos is a world-class athlete whose skills place him in a competitive realm most of us can scarcely imagine. Consider the NFL's Buffalo Bills, who appeared in every Super Bowl from 1991 to 1994. While they are best remembered for losing all four, the fact remains that no other team has ever won four consecutive conference championships. In figure skating, Michelle Kwan was America's all-time greatest, winning five World Championships. Despite her undeniable talent, however, she would always stumble at the Olympics, settling for silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002. While most people can only dream of going to the Olympics, Kwan has earned the ultimate humble-brag of "only" having two Olympic medals. Point being, it is impossible for all but an elite handful of people on earth to know what Robert Gardos and other elite athletes go through to attain and maintain top global ranking. After all, there is no such thing as a world-class journeyman. While Gardos has plenty of laurels to rest upon, were he so inclined to recline, he continues to fight. That's what makes a true champion.

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