Tennis pro from Kent fails to beat Telegraph

A PROFESSIONAL tennis player from Kent has lost his legal battle against The Daily Telegraph. Robert Dee from Bexley sued the national newspaper for labelling him the 'world's worst tennis pro'. Dee has previously earned over 30 apologies and tens of thousands of pounds worth of damages from media organizations that all made similarly disparaging allegations about his sporting capabilities. Media organizations that have been found guilty of libel offenses against the 21 year old include the Sun, the Daily Mail and the BBC. Dee though failed to count on the stubbornness of The Daily Telegraph who stood to lose over pounds in £500,000 costs alone if the publication lost out at the High Court.

The High Court judge Mrs Justice Sharp ruled that the newspaper had provided strong enough evidence to support the term 'world's worst'. The allegations came after Dee suffered a run of 54 straight-set losses on the international professional circuit.
With such a poor record on the tennis courts, Dee has had a great deal more success in the other courts, winning substantially more money through damages than any prize money he has received in his career to date.

The BBC
The article appeared on the BBC Sport website on the 22nd April 2008 and stated that Dee had finally won at the 55th attempt and after three years of trying. The BBC apologized on the 19th of May 2009, stating that the article was incorrect and they were happy to point out that Dee won 20 matches between April 2007 and March 2008 and reached the final of a tournament in Almeria. The BBC then stated that they accept that the matches were professional and that they form part of Mr Dee's professional record and that the article was therefore inaccurate. The BBC then apologized to Mr Dee.
Dee received £12,500 in damages from the BBC and then costs of £28,000. In total, Robert Dee received a figure of £40,500 form the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The Daily Mail
The report by the Daily Mail was published on 22nd April 2008 suggested that Dee was the ‘world’s worst tennis player. The apology, which appeared on the Mail online on the 22nd of December 2008, admitted that Dee had won 22 professional matches in Spain during the period and formally apologized to Dee. For this article alone, Robert Dee received £15,000 in damages.

The Sun
On July, 11 2008 The Sun formally apologized to Dee for an article published on April, 23. The apology stated: "On April 23 we reported that tennis player Robert Dee lost 54 matches in a row over three years. We now accept he won many other professional games in this period and is not the world's worst tennis pro. We apologize for any embarrassment".

The Daily Star
On January 29, 2009 The Daily Star printed an apology in their publication to Robert Dee for an article published on the April 23, 2008. The apology read: "In an article published on April 23, 2008 we described Robert Dee as 'the world's worst tennis player'. We accept that this damaging description of Robert Dee has no foundation whatsoever and we apologise to Mr Dee for the hurt, distress, embarrassment and damage it caused. Mr Dee is a hard-working and continually improving young tennis professional. We are happy to set the record straight and have paid damages to Mr Dee".
The exact sum of the damages is not known but it is likely to be a similar amount that The Sun paid Dee as the issue was settled out of court and the content was similar.

There are over 30 examples of apologies from news publications and companies who were all force to pay damages to Mr Dee for claims against his tennis ability and poor form. Dee's form has though improved recently with three consecutive straight sets wins. Dee beat Adrian Cabrera 6-0 6-0 at the II Open National De Tenis Villa De Redovan tournament at the Villa De Redovan. Dee followed the win with further straight sets wins against Jose Maria Arroniz and Jose Escudero Soler on the hard courts.
There is an appreciative group on Facebook with up to date news about Dee's performances and match reports. To find the page click here. Robert Dee continues to fight against form records at his Spanish base and will continue to fight any defamatory comments about his tennis ability. But with tens of thousands of pounds won in damages, he can afford to continue to push for his dream as a tennis professional.