Back in the days of 'real' tennis there was no such thing as a 'serve bot', you know, the tennis player who failed to grasp the finer details of the sport so they decided to become a server instead of a tennis player.
Reminds me of a Bon Jovi video where the band members joked about what they would become if they didn't make it as a musician.
The answer ?
A drummer.
This week in Miami the 'serve bots' are in full swing, flaunting the rules of tennis that give a player a free swing at the first ball in play.
Isner and Ranoic come to mind, two tennis professionals who would require a second job if only one serve was allowed in a sport that prides itself on technical brilliance.
( Someone forgot to tell the rules guy )
So two serves it is in tennis, funny stuff, like a golfer allowed two swings off the tee.
'There you go Tiger, go hard on the first swing, if you hit it into the water it's ok, you got another shot anyhow'.
Fair dinkum who made the rules of tennis up ??
Thank goodness Juan Martin beat Raonic, the only surprise was that it didn't go three breakers with the returning skills of Raonic. Forget Juan Martin, he just closed his eyes and tried to guess the correct way.
5-7, 7-6, 7-6 for the record.
Boring tennis ?
Not many breaks.
You could go to the bar for a few beers and get back to watch the end of each set, not a lot happens up until then.
So back to Miami.
Carreno Busta plays another serve bot in Anderson, a player I refer to as a 'one break tennis player', break him once and providing you can serve over 150 the set is yours.
The best quarter final is between two tennis players, yep TWO TENNIS PLAYERS who serve well but who do not rely on the delivery to win a tennis match, they actually went to the 'real school' of tennis when they were kids, Coric and Zverev.
So Juan Martin Delpo has to go up against another 'bot' in Isner, hopefully for the sake of tennis the returning skills of the Argentinian are enough.
I am old, 49, grew up watching Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Vilas, Geruilaitis, guys who could put on a show, non robotic type players who owned every shot in the book, guys who put the serve in to simply start the point, perhaps with Mac being the exception, his serve was something special.
New rackets, greater technology, sillier ideas that complicate a once non complicated sport.
Nice guy John Isner, don't mind him.
Boring as watching paint dry.
Go the returner.......
Thursday, 29 March 2018
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
'YES HE DID REALLY SAY THAT'
"I didn't put a lot of scoreboard pressure on him, but when I'm playing on my terms I don't feel there are too many people that can go with me".
Thanassi Kokkinakis after defeating World number 1 Roger Federer in Miami this week.
Tennis is a funny sport, played by all sorts of personalities and sometimes things are said in the heat of the moment when the blood is pumping through the veins, even after a match has finished.
Take for instance the above comment made by World number 175 Thanasi Kokkinakis after a monumental upset in Miami over the King, Mr Fed. Now for the record the Aussie has been as high as World number 69 in 2015 before injuries took him out of the sport for most of 2016.
It's fair to say that Thanasi was rather pumped after his win as anyone would be over the 'GOAT' but what he said after the match I find rather astounding. Let's look at it again;
"when I am playing on my terms I don't feel there are too many people that can go with me".
Well Fernando Verdasco 'went with' Thanasi in the very next round and took the Aussie out in three sets, just for the record.
World Tennis is full of unbelievable talent. In fact for every player ranked in the top 100 I would suggest that any of them could be beaten by each other on any given day as very little separates them technically, more so mentally. If a player is slightly 'off' in the mind then they are susceptible to a loss, no risk at all.
The top 100 are ridiculously good at playing tennis though the top 20 own a mind that should one day be donated to a laboratory for a Professor to dissect to see just what on earth gave them that mental edge.
I for one would buy a ticket to see the results first hand.
So back to Thanasi.
The young Aussie has a long way to go before he is mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats of the sport and he has a long way to go before his game really is the type that other players will struggle to 'go with'.
The win was a great win though he lost his next match to a 34 year old ranked 39 with just under 500 career singles wins to his name. I am sure the Spaniard thinks just the same as Thanasi, that his best is hard to beat.
Nothing wrong with confidence however I believe that a player needs a few more wins under their belt before they start making big time statements about their ability.
Thanasi Kokkinakis, let's watch this space for the rest of the year.
I for one hope he does well, I also hope he chooses his words a little more wisely in the future......
Thanassi Kokkinakis after defeating World number 1 Roger Federer in Miami this week.
Tennis is a funny sport, played by all sorts of personalities and sometimes things are said in the heat of the moment when the blood is pumping through the veins, even after a match has finished.
Take for instance the above comment made by World number 175 Thanasi Kokkinakis after a monumental upset in Miami over the King, Mr Fed. Now for the record the Aussie has been as high as World number 69 in 2015 before injuries took him out of the sport for most of 2016.
It's fair to say that Thanasi was rather pumped after his win as anyone would be over the 'GOAT' but what he said after the match I find rather astounding. Let's look at it again;
"when I am playing on my terms I don't feel there are too many people that can go with me".
Well Fernando Verdasco 'went with' Thanasi in the very next round and took the Aussie out in three sets, just for the record.
World Tennis is full of unbelievable talent. In fact for every player ranked in the top 100 I would suggest that any of them could be beaten by each other on any given day as very little separates them technically, more so mentally. If a player is slightly 'off' in the mind then they are susceptible to a loss, no risk at all.
The top 100 are ridiculously good at playing tennis though the top 20 own a mind that should one day be donated to a laboratory for a Professor to dissect to see just what on earth gave them that mental edge.
I for one would buy a ticket to see the results first hand.
So back to Thanasi.
The young Aussie has a long way to go before he is mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats of the sport and he has a long way to go before his game really is the type that other players will struggle to 'go with'.
The win was a great win though he lost his next match to a 34 year old ranked 39 with just under 500 career singles wins to his name. I am sure the Spaniard thinks just the same as Thanasi, that his best is hard to beat.
Nothing wrong with confidence however I believe that a player needs a few more wins under their belt before they start making big time statements about their ability.
Thanasi Kokkinakis, let's watch this space for the rest of the year.
I for one hope he does well, I also hope he chooses his words a little more wisely in the future......
Sunday, 25 March 2018
'EGOTISTICAL TENNIS BEHAVIOUR'
I have played tennis since I was 12 years of age, I am now 49. I still remember my very first City tennis tournament at the Blue Gum Park Tennis Club in Perth where I lost a tight one, 5-7, 6-7 in the first round, I never forget a score.
During that match my eye caught a really good older player on the court behind us, probably one of the higher seeded players in the 18's.
His play was rather outstanding as I watched him hit a few shots though what he said to his opponent at one stage in that match has stuck with me to this day.
'You're weak mate'.
I thought I was hearing things.
'YOU'RE WEAK MATE'.
Yep that's what he said to his 'weaker' opponent.
That was my very first introduction to tennis 'sledging' which I was somewhat surprised about but I took that away with me and put it in the book of tennis knowledge in my mind to sift through at a later date.
I wondered why that hot shot player had said those words to a lesser credentialed player however as I have aged I have seen it more and more and seen it spill into coaching, nature of the sport I call it.
When I trained in Queensland in the late 80's I recall four players in particular who were complete arseholes and another four players who were rather unassuming with their everyday business on and off court.
Here's what transpired.
The four arseholes never made a dollar from the sport, a real shame as they paraded around that tennis facility as though it was their own back yard. Their behaviour included regular peanut gallery comments while some of us were trying to concentrate on our training or our challenge matches.
The four unassuming players ?
Well here's their names for you.
Neil Borwick ( World number 104 singles 1993 , World number 60 doubles, 1992 )
Andrew Kratzmann ( World number 13 doubles 2000 )
Peter Trammachi ( World number 45 doubles 1999, World number 127 singles 1998 )
Pat Rafter ( World number 1 singles 1999 )
For the record, I never hit with Rafter or Borwick as Neil was in the top squad and Pat was in the fourth squad. I used to hit daily with Trammachi and Kratzmann in squad number 2.
There were a lot more guys trying to make a dollar from the game at the Coops tennis training facility back then but those eight players in particular left a lasting impression on me with their attitude at the time and where they in fact ended up with their tennis.
The four who I speak of in somewhat derogatory terms reminded me of that hot shot who I so vividly remember at my first City tournament.
I wonder where he ended up with his tennis ?
The egos of the four loud mouths at Coops were out of control yet they believed in their own minds that tennis owed them a living and they would simply walk onto the Pro Tour due to their high opinion of themselves.
Good luck with that attitude.
Names ?
Well I can't print their names for legal purposes obviously however one day I would like to send them all a Xmas card and suggest to them that with a slight tweak in attitude they may just have added their names to the list of Borwick, Trammachi, Kratzmann and Rafter as successful tennis professionals.
Such is life.
The egotistical side of tennis coaching is rather comical to say the least and I could write pages and pages on some of the things I have both seen and read over the years.
I wrote rather fondly some time ago about the coach who challenged me to a match because he didn't like what I wrote on this site. Well he's not actually a bad bloke, just rather passionate about tennis, as I am so I didn't really take too much offence to his comments, I simply offered him a rather lengthy reply as to why I write what I write.
Last tennis season I read something that I still can't quite fathom, a coach was boasting that they had a 'waiting list' for private lessons. Seriously ?? Never heard of it.
At $60 to $80 per hour this coach apparently was so good at their craft that students were banging the door down to get a lesson.
By all reports this particular program is now struggling for numbers, interesting.
Was it all in the mind do you think ?
Well that's tennis in a nutshell isn't it ?
Ego at it's absolute best.
Some will write things on their site that aren't actually true but it makes them sound like they are gods gift to the sport all to justify that rather tasty hourly price tag that has self importance written all over it.
Tennis players and coaches alike will always own an ego because it's an individual sport, it's the nature of tennis, it's like boxing, a one on one combat sport where a knock out punch is required for a victory.
When the victory eventuates it's up to the individual how to handle the success, some do it better than others, nature of the sport......
During that match my eye caught a really good older player on the court behind us, probably one of the higher seeded players in the 18's.
His play was rather outstanding as I watched him hit a few shots though what he said to his opponent at one stage in that match has stuck with me to this day.
'You're weak mate'.
I thought I was hearing things.
'YOU'RE WEAK MATE'.
Yep that's what he said to his 'weaker' opponent.
That was my very first introduction to tennis 'sledging' which I was somewhat surprised about but I took that away with me and put it in the book of tennis knowledge in my mind to sift through at a later date.
I wondered why that hot shot player had said those words to a lesser credentialed player however as I have aged I have seen it more and more and seen it spill into coaching, nature of the sport I call it.
When I trained in Queensland in the late 80's I recall four players in particular who were complete arseholes and another four players who were rather unassuming with their everyday business on and off court.
Here's what transpired.
The four arseholes never made a dollar from the sport, a real shame as they paraded around that tennis facility as though it was their own back yard. Their behaviour included regular peanut gallery comments while some of us were trying to concentrate on our training or our challenge matches.
The four unassuming players ?
Well here's their names for you.
Neil Borwick ( World number 104 singles 1993 , World number 60 doubles, 1992 )
Andrew Kratzmann ( World number 13 doubles 2000 )
Peter Trammachi ( World number 45 doubles 1999, World number 127 singles 1998 )
Pat Rafter ( World number 1 singles 1999 )
For the record, I never hit with Rafter or Borwick as Neil was in the top squad and Pat was in the fourth squad. I used to hit daily with Trammachi and Kratzmann in squad number 2.
There were a lot more guys trying to make a dollar from the game at the Coops tennis training facility back then but those eight players in particular left a lasting impression on me with their attitude at the time and where they in fact ended up with their tennis.
The four who I speak of in somewhat derogatory terms reminded me of that hot shot who I so vividly remember at my first City tournament.
I wonder where he ended up with his tennis ?
The egos of the four loud mouths at Coops were out of control yet they believed in their own minds that tennis owed them a living and they would simply walk onto the Pro Tour due to their high opinion of themselves.
Good luck with that attitude.
Names ?
Well I can't print their names for legal purposes obviously however one day I would like to send them all a Xmas card and suggest to them that with a slight tweak in attitude they may just have added their names to the list of Borwick, Trammachi, Kratzmann and Rafter as successful tennis professionals.
Such is life.
The egotistical side of tennis coaching is rather comical to say the least and I could write pages and pages on some of the things I have both seen and read over the years.
I wrote rather fondly some time ago about the coach who challenged me to a match because he didn't like what I wrote on this site. Well he's not actually a bad bloke, just rather passionate about tennis, as I am so I didn't really take too much offence to his comments, I simply offered him a rather lengthy reply as to why I write what I write.
Last tennis season I read something that I still can't quite fathom, a coach was boasting that they had a 'waiting list' for private lessons. Seriously ?? Never heard of it.
At $60 to $80 per hour this coach apparently was so good at their craft that students were banging the door down to get a lesson.
By all reports this particular program is now struggling for numbers, interesting.
Was it all in the mind do you think ?
Well that's tennis in a nutshell isn't it ?
Ego at it's absolute best.
Some will write things on their site that aren't actually true but it makes them sound like they are gods gift to the sport all to justify that rather tasty hourly price tag that has self importance written all over it.
Tennis players and coaches alike will always own an ego because it's an individual sport, it's the nature of tennis, it's like boxing, a one on one combat sport where a knock out punch is required for a victory.
When the victory eventuates it's up to the individual how to handle the success, some do it better than others, nature of the sport......
'COURTESY OF FOX SPORTS'
I find the following story somewhat disappointing but there's always a f...wit or two in every crowd. A tennis professional is expected to do a lot to win at that level however they should not be subjected to this sort of behaviour from brain dead spectators. Whether you like a player or not, they are there for your entertainment, not to abuse....
REIGNING Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki says she and her family were targets of verbal abuse and threats from the crowd during her Miami Open loss to Monica Puig.
In a statement on Saturday posted on Twitter, Wozniacki said the tournament did nothing to prevent the abuse.
Tournament director James Blake responded that while the crowd was “loud and passionate,” Miami Open staff, WTA Tour officials and courtside security were unaware during the match of any threats made.
Saturday, 24 March 2018
'THE SPRINT'
A sprint is not really a mind game but more of an act of strength and speed as you will no doubt have watched the great Usain Bolt deliver some amazing performances over the years.
The interesting thing to note about Usain however is that he does not often win the start, he very rarely loses the race though. That's unique in itself when you consider that in a 100 metre sprint there is not much margin for error.
Less than 10 seconds is not a time frame that you would like to work with on a regular basis and hope to come out on top more often than not. I wonder if the great man has worked on his starts or whether he simply accepts the fact that it is part of his 'game' that is not really an issue.
He seems to reel in his opponents like a professional fisherman toying with something at the end of his line.
When you look at a sport as complex as tennis you will notice that it is a series of sprints in many different directions however unlike Mr Bolt who acknowledges the crowd at the end of his race there is a split decision to be made at the end of a tennis sprint.
Have you ever taken a moment to really look at just how hard tennis really is ? It's outrageous.
Most people who know anything about the sport of tennis will tell you that the mind is the one thing that separates a very good tennis player from an average one. Most good tennis coaches will also be well aware that simply teaching a student how to hit a tennis ball is only one part of a rather complicated sport that at times resembles a jigsaw puzzle.
Putting the pieces together can be difficult.
History will tell you that only the smartest tennis players have been successful in tennis, not necessarily the players who have owned the greatest looking shots.
How tough is tennis ?
Well you can train all you like and become as fast as Usain Bolt but the sprint in tennis is just part of the jigsaw. Once you get to the end of the sprint you have to be smart enough to choose correctly what should be done with the ball and a successful tennis player has to do this regularly, not just spasmodically.
The 'flash' tennis player can do it to the point that he or she will look great to the naked eye yet will probably lose to the 'hacker' who is a little less flash but a whole lot smarter.
Being technically correct is a huge part of tennis yet I have seen many students train for many years and the same flaws remain. Some students are happy to just hit the ball in training and not tinker around with some technique experimentation because they are in a comfort zone despite their lack of improvement.
Each to their own I suppose.
Tennis, an individual sport where every student owns their own perception of what is right and what is wrong.
Same as coaching.
Every tennis coach on the planet owns a theory on tennis yet implementing those theories is like training a dog to catch a Frisbee on a full sprint.
Not easy......
The interesting thing to note about Usain however is that he does not often win the start, he very rarely loses the race though. That's unique in itself when you consider that in a 100 metre sprint there is not much margin for error.
Less than 10 seconds is not a time frame that you would like to work with on a regular basis and hope to come out on top more often than not. I wonder if the great man has worked on his starts or whether he simply accepts the fact that it is part of his 'game' that is not really an issue.
He seems to reel in his opponents like a professional fisherman toying with something at the end of his line.
When you look at a sport as complex as tennis you will notice that it is a series of sprints in many different directions however unlike Mr Bolt who acknowledges the crowd at the end of his race there is a split decision to be made at the end of a tennis sprint.
Have you ever taken a moment to really look at just how hard tennis really is ? It's outrageous.
Most people who know anything about the sport of tennis will tell you that the mind is the one thing that separates a very good tennis player from an average one. Most good tennis coaches will also be well aware that simply teaching a student how to hit a tennis ball is only one part of a rather complicated sport that at times resembles a jigsaw puzzle.
Putting the pieces together can be difficult.
History will tell you that only the smartest tennis players have been successful in tennis, not necessarily the players who have owned the greatest looking shots.
How tough is tennis ?
Well you can train all you like and become as fast as Usain Bolt but the sprint in tennis is just part of the jigsaw. Once you get to the end of the sprint you have to be smart enough to choose correctly what should be done with the ball and a successful tennis player has to do this regularly, not just spasmodically.
The 'flash' tennis player can do it to the point that he or she will look great to the naked eye yet will probably lose to the 'hacker' who is a little less flash but a whole lot smarter.
Being technically correct is a huge part of tennis yet I have seen many students train for many years and the same flaws remain. Some students are happy to just hit the ball in training and not tinker around with some technique experimentation because they are in a comfort zone despite their lack of improvement.
Each to their own I suppose.
Tennis, an individual sport where every student owns their own perception of what is right and what is wrong.
Same as coaching.
Every tennis coach on the planet owns a theory on tennis yet implementing those theories is like training a dog to catch a Frisbee on a full sprint.
Not easy......
Thursday, 15 March 2018
'KEN FLACH' ( MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH )
I wrote this in 2014
In memory of Ken Flach who sadly passed away recently.
This one's for you Kenny......
'MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH'
Written June 2014 by GT
Remember the 'Get Smart' series ? Outstanding humor, Maxwell was famous for many quotes but one in particular 'missed it by that much' is rather apt for this chapter.
The 1985 US Open Men's Doubles Final saw American pair Ken Flach and Robert Seguso up against French stars Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte, best of 5 sets, as it was back then. This match was between two teams who had rather different results in major tournaments , Noah and Leconte were the 1984 French Open Doubles winners, Flach and Seguso did not own a major. This title match would cement the French as one the best teams in the world for a second year in a row or give the American's their first major.
Flach had a hairstyle not unlike the lead singer of Def Leppard, my favorite rock band of the 80's, this hairstyle would become 'infamous' by the end of the match. I remember watching Flach play in Queensland in a Challenger Tournament , he had an unusual style, very abbreviated ground strokes which he followed to the net, effective. Seguso had a huge serve, these guys were a very talented team.
Noah and Leconte had a lot of flair about the way they played , proven singles players but an accomplished doubles pairing also that sent their home crowd delirious a year earlier with a win in Paris. Huge serves , flashy ground strokes and both could volley well, the sort of team you would pick to play for you on a Nintendo computer game.
The issue with 4 big servers is the lack of rallying, a big serve and solid volley will take many sets to a tie breaker and ask for a slice of luck, as was the case in this final. The Frenchmen took the first in a breaker 7 points to 5, the Americans took the second in a breaker 7 points to 1, an unusual blow out in a set decider, the third set went to another tie break.
Now anyone who knows anything about tennis will realize that a two sets to one lead is crucial, momentum in tennis is everything, spirits can lift with a lead , fighting back can take it's toll both physically and mentally. This third set tie breaker will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.....
At 6-4 to the Frenchmen , with 2 set points up for grabs Leconte played with his usual flair and went for a forehand drive volley, no holding back, he struck it beautifully. He unfortunately clipped the top of the net but he had a 'lifeline' as it's path was straight at the shoulder of Flach who instinctively turned to get out of the way of the ball.
Now according to the Frenchmen the ball either hit Flach on the shoulder or brushed his flowing locks, either way they claimed the point and the set plus a two sets to one lead. Why didn't the umpire see it? Noah and Leconte accused Flach of cheating, not owning up to the 'contact' , if there was any at all, the Americans denied any wrong doing. The French put all their toys back in the toy box and went home, mentally, they lost the fourth set 0-6 without even trying.
Flach and Seguso were booed at the trophy presentation , at their first Grand Slam title that happened to be on home soil, such was the public affection for Noah and Leconte , two very World wide popular professionals. Flach and Seguso went on to win Wimbledon twice and one more US Open title, the Frenchmen didn't win another.
The Davis Cup final of 1991 was perhaps their belated revenge.
The final held in Lyon , France saw a retired Yannick Noah as the French Davis Cup Captain with Leconte pairing up with Guy Forget, another talented left handed Frenchman. The two beat Flach and Seguso in the crucial doubles match and they went on to claim the Cup three matches to one.
Only Flach knows to this day whether or not the ball actually touched him, shoulder or hair, he will take that secret with him when he goes, one of the game's all time greatest speculations...........
In memory of Ken Flach who sadly passed away recently.
This one's for you Kenny......
'MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH'
Written June 2014 by GT
Remember the 'Get Smart' series ? Outstanding humor, Maxwell was famous for many quotes but one in particular 'missed it by that much' is rather apt for this chapter.
The 1985 US Open Men's Doubles Final saw American pair Ken Flach and Robert Seguso up against French stars Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte, best of 5 sets, as it was back then. This match was between two teams who had rather different results in major tournaments , Noah and Leconte were the 1984 French Open Doubles winners, Flach and Seguso did not own a major. This title match would cement the French as one the best teams in the world for a second year in a row or give the American's their first major.
Flach had a hairstyle not unlike the lead singer of Def Leppard, my favorite rock band of the 80's, this hairstyle would become 'infamous' by the end of the match. I remember watching Flach play in Queensland in a Challenger Tournament , he had an unusual style, very abbreviated ground strokes which he followed to the net, effective. Seguso had a huge serve, these guys were a very talented team.
Noah and Leconte had a lot of flair about the way they played , proven singles players but an accomplished doubles pairing also that sent their home crowd delirious a year earlier with a win in Paris. Huge serves , flashy ground strokes and both could volley well, the sort of team you would pick to play for you on a Nintendo computer game.
The issue with 4 big servers is the lack of rallying, a big serve and solid volley will take many sets to a tie breaker and ask for a slice of luck, as was the case in this final. The Frenchmen took the first in a breaker 7 points to 5, the Americans took the second in a breaker 7 points to 1, an unusual blow out in a set decider, the third set went to another tie break.
Now anyone who knows anything about tennis will realize that a two sets to one lead is crucial, momentum in tennis is everything, spirits can lift with a lead , fighting back can take it's toll both physically and mentally. This third set tie breaker will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.....
At 6-4 to the Frenchmen , with 2 set points up for grabs Leconte played with his usual flair and went for a forehand drive volley, no holding back, he struck it beautifully. He unfortunately clipped the top of the net but he had a 'lifeline' as it's path was straight at the shoulder of Flach who instinctively turned to get out of the way of the ball.
Now according to the Frenchmen the ball either hit Flach on the shoulder or brushed his flowing locks, either way they claimed the point and the set plus a two sets to one lead. Why didn't the umpire see it? Noah and Leconte accused Flach of cheating, not owning up to the 'contact' , if there was any at all, the Americans denied any wrong doing. The French put all their toys back in the toy box and went home, mentally, they lost the fourth set 0-6 without even trying.
Flach and Seguso were booed at the trophy presentation , at their first Grand Slam title that happened to be on home soil, such was the public affection for Noah and Leconte , two very World wide popular professionals. Flach and Seguso went on to win Wimbledon twice and one more US Open title, the Frenchmen didn't win another.
The Davis Cup final of 1991 was perhaps their belated revenge.
The final held in Lyon , France saw a retired Yannick Noah as the French Davis Cup Captain with Leconte pairing up with Guy Forget, another talented left handed Frenchman. The two beat Flach and Seguso in the crucial doubles match and they went on to claim the Cup three matches to one.
Only Flach knows to this day whether or not the ball actually touched him, shoulder or hair, he will take that secret with him when he goes, one of the game's all time greatest speculations...........
Monday, 12 March 2018
'WORLD'S WORST TENNIS PLAYER'
This story is a classic. I recently posted an article that suggested losing in the qualifying rounds of an ATP event is not the end of the dream so to speak as 'Lucky losers' have been known to walk away with thousands.
This story beats any other story you will ever read regarding a 'battling tennis player'.
'World's worst' tennis player loses again
When Robert Dee was described as the worst professional tennis player in the world, he didn't take it lying down.
Instead the young Briton resolved to take legal action against dozens of newspapers and websites to defend his name and reputation.
With a tenacity that has kept him going on the court - through a record-breaking run of 54 straight-set losses on the international professional circuit - he sent out a string of legal letters demanding apologies and damages.
More than 30 news outlets capitulated.
Dee duly trumpeted his successby posting their cheques for thousands of pounds of damages on his personal website.
However, he had not reckoned on The Daily Telegraph refusing to back down - despite a risk that a libel trial could cost the paper £500,000 in costs alone, at the very least.
As a result, the case went before a High Court judge who has now confirmed that the evidence supplied by the newspaper was sufficient to justify the description "world's worst".
The paper printed a short front-page story on Dee on 23 April 2008 in conjunction with a fuller article in the Sport section the same day.
The front-page, 82-word piece, began: "A Briton ranked as the worst professional tennis player in the world after 54 defeats in a row has won his first match."
It went on: "Robert Dee, 21, of Bexley, Kent, did not win a single match during his first three years on the circuit, touring at an estimated cost of £200,000.
"But his dismal run ended at the Reus tournament near Barcelona as he beat an unranked 17-year-old, Arzhang Derakshani, 6-4, 6-3. Dee lost in the second round."
Dee sued for defamation, arguing the piece exposed him to ridicule and could damage his ability to work in the tennis world in the future.
His barrister pointed out that Dee had won professional games on a Spanish domestic circuit during his 54-match losing streak on the international circuit.
But The Daily Telegraph maintained it was justified in publishing the story because the articles were not defamatory and true.
David Price, for the Telegraph, argued that just as it could not be defamatory to report that a player had lost one match, so it could not be defamatory to report accurately that he had lost a large number on the trot.
Mrs Justice Sharp ruled: "The incontestably true facts are that the Claimant [Robert Dee] did lose 54 matches in a row in straight sets in his first three years on the world ranking ITF / ATP tournaments on the international professional tennis circuit, and that this was the worst ever run."
She continued that there was "no additional obligation" on the paper to prove that Dee "is objectively the worst professional tennis player in the world, in terms of his playing skills".
That characterisation was "simply a consequence of his unprecedented record of defeats", she stated.
His wins on the Spanish national circuit did "not detract from the fact that he holds the longest record for consecutive defeats based on the offical world ranking system," she added.
She concluded that there could be "no rational conclusion" other than for the paper's case to succeed on the basis of justification - that the facts were true.
While weightier libel cases have made the news in recent months, the legal battle demonstrates how newspapers can be held to ransom by litigants spurred on by lawyers promising to work on a "no win, no fee" basis. They are known in the trade as conditional fee arrangements.
Keith Mathieson, a solicitor who was acting for Reuters when it was threatened by Dee's solicitors, told the House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in 2008 that the news agency felt "it had really no option but to settle because it was faced with potential costs of trial for this comparatively unimportant libel case of £1.2 million."
Reuters was asked to pay Dee's costs of £250,000, compared with its own legal costs of £31,000.
In a later memorandum from Dee's father to the Select Committe, Alan Dee pointed out that their legal action was "only partially funded with a 50 per cent conditional fee agreement".
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So there you go, sometimes it pays to be a 'loser'...........
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So there you go, sometimes it pays to be a 'loser'...........
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