The REALLY bad news here is there's no Robert Dee in qualifying in Spain this week, so what's happened to him?
a) he's gone elsewhere (the Algarve maybe? - if so, someone on AM.com lives in Lagos where the Future will be this week and says she might go and watch, so I'll have to ask her to take a pic of our elusive (anti-)hero for us!
b) he's been given a main draw WC to mark the occasion
c) he's going to match the record in the UK - maybe Fitzy has kindly said he's willing to forego a WC for the next GB Future so that Rob can have one (ok, just in case anyone hasn't guessed, that's another rumour about Fitzy that has no basis in truth whatsoever! )
d) he's so crushed after getting so close to winning a set last week and just missing out that he can't face playing again this week
e) he's achieved his career goal of getting to a tiebreak on two different surfaces and has quite while he's ahead
f) he's gone off to Abidjan (Ivory Coast) because he's fed up of Edward and Fitzy getting more attention here than he does.
g) he's just been stringing us along all the time and now he's one off the record, he's retired and is laughing his head off at us for wondering where he's gone
-- Edited by steven at 18:22, 2008-02-29
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
h) he's injured and is waiting until fully recovered before going all out for that final match
i) he's got a potential injury so he's not playing this week as a precaution
j) he forgot to sign-in to qualifying
k) the shock of almost winning a set led to a nervous breakdown and he's been advised to give up playing tennis as it's obviously too dangerous
l) by reaching a tiebreak last week, he's now really scared that he might be on a roll and so is taking a few weeks off just to break the momentum and ensure that it nevers happens again.
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To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing and one does not see anything until one sees its beauty
Very funny, you two! I especially like g), and can't help hoping that's exactly what has happened.
But, Steven, 'anti-hero'? Surely not - I, at least, am a genuine fan, and am hoping against hope that Rob spoils our fun by winning, as soon as possible.
Absolutely it can steven. I think if we took him too seriously, we'd have to face the truth that he is in fact a major embarassment to all things British lol, so it's important to keep a bit of humour in the situation.
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Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive.... those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience
He's back ... and this time he's angry! (ok, not very angry )
After a one week training block to get himself into tip-top shape, our hero has turned up in the aptly named Bad-alona in Spain in an attempt to equal Diego Beltranena's record, but the Spanish draw-gods are doing their best to make it difficult for him to record his 54th loss in a row.
In QR1 on Friday, he faces unranked 17-year-old Carlos Guerrero-Pancorbo (ESP), who has only played in three events before.
Just under a year ago, Carlos beat never-ranked Antonio Ochoa-Collado 5-7 6-3 1-2 RET before getting stuffed 2 & 0 by Dan Cox. In September, he got double-bagelledby never-ranked Irishman Barry Fagan. In January, he got thrashed 2 & 0 by a Swede with one ranking point.
In all, Guerrero-Pancorbo has a 1-7 record and has been bagelled 5 times in his last 5 matches.
Will Dee equal the record? Will he celebrate doing so by winning a set? Will he get a ranking point this week. (OK, one of those definitely won't happen!)
Oh, the tension!!
-- Edited by steven at 23:09, 2008-03-06
-- Edited by steven at 23:39, 2008-03-06
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
Steven, you're missing the 4 events he played in 2006, he actually won 2 sets during them matches. Although he did still go 0-4, including a 0 & 1 defeat to a never ranked Spaniard.
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Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive.... those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience
I'd watch it if they did! Who'd watch Nole and Duckboy when they could watch the Dee-man. I wonder if he will get a crowd (of other players) at his match today. Though of course if he's going for no. 55 (i.e. to actually break the record) next week, that will be an even more momentous occasion.
Then again, he might win today, you never know! (ok, maybe you do)
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
I quite liked this on MTF by a poster called LeChuck:
"According to the ATP website, the Bye has a 1-4108 career win-loss record. For years the biggest tennis-related conundrum has been who the Bye accounted for during its sole victory. I think we now know the answer."