The spirit of Viktor Barna can once again rest easy. Barna, born in Hungary in 1911, won a record five men's singles titles at the World Championships. Playing before the Championships converted to a biennial format in 1957, Barna's run includes four consecutive titles (1932-35), also a record. Owing to the biennial format and the global nature of the game, it had seemed for generations that both of Barna's records would reign unchallenged. Only China's Zhuang Zedong came close, winning three straight from 1961-65 before the entire Chinese team withdrew from international competition during the Cultural Revolution. Now, once again, China is withdrawing a player on the cusp of a four-peat. Yesterday, the China Table Tennis Association (CTTA) announced its roster for next month's 2021 World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, Texas, US of A. Notably absent from the roster were Xu Xin (pictured, left) and Ma Long (right). "Ma and Xu have decided not to participate in the championships for physical adjustment," said CTTA secretary-general Qin Zhijian in euphemistic doublespeak. "The two paddlers are leading figures in the team with strong competition ability. The men's team will face a great challenge in the championships with the absence of Grand Slam winner Ma Long. " The absence of world #3 Xu Xin particularly hurts China's chances in doubles, in which discipline he holds five world championships (three men's, two mixed). It is the omission of world Ma Long, however, which sent shockwaves throughout the table tennis world. The Grand Slam to which Qin referred is the Holy Grail of table tennis: singles titles in the Olympics, World Championships and World Cup. While winning one title at each event is enough to guarantee immortality, Ma has won each at least twice. After winning the last three World Championships on the trot, he became the first man to defend his singles gold medal at the Olympics this summer in Tokyo. Despite his dominance, or perhaps because of it, he will not be on hand to challenge Barna's record of four consecutive World Championships. As secretary-general Qin reasons, the short-term loss for the Chinese team is a long-term investment. "Looking ahead to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, it is necessary to train young paddlers' ability to withstand pressure and bear responsibility in international events," explained Qin. Besides, the CTTA is likely very confident in world #1 Fan Zhendong and his teammates' chances of keeping the title in Chinese hands. As Ma Long and Xu Xin ease (or are eased) into premature retirement, we are left to wonder what might have been. What if Zhuang Zedong had continued to play in the 1960s? Would he have won four or five in a row? What if six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan hadn't taken two years off during his prime to play baseball? Would he have won eight consecutive titles? What if Ma Long had been given free rein to run roughshod over the world, including his junior teammates, as long as he pleased? We will never know. And that is just fine with Viktor Barna, wherever he may be.

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