Alain Robidoux

Infobox Snooker player
Name = Alain Robidoux


Caption =
Born = birth date and age|1960|7|25
Death =
Birthplace = Saint-Jérôme, Quebec
Nationality = Flag|Canada|name=Canadian
Nickname =
Professional = 1988-
High ranking = #9
Prize money = CN$1.31 million
High break = 147 (1988 European Open)
Best finish = Final, German Open 1996
Ranking wins =
Other wins = World Trickshot 1996
World champ =

Alain Robidoux (born July 25, 1960 in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian snooker player; he played on the World Snooker tour from 1988-2002 and continues to play in events in Canada.

Robidoux’s best ranking event performance was reaching the final of the German Open in 1996. He lost 9-7 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. His career peaked in 1997, when he reached the semi-finals of the world championship and rose to number nine in the world rankings the following season. He slid rapidly down the rankings in subsequent years, partly as a result of losing his favourite cue, which he referred to as the "Eel"; he returned it to its maker - an elderly craftsman in Canada - for repairs, but the craftsman smashed the cue into pieces and sent the remains back to Robidoux, reportedly taking offence because both the cue and the cue-case had a logo for "Riley's", a leading UK cue manufacturer.

Robidoux was once infamously beaten by 10-3 by Ronnie O'Sullivan, who played some shots left-handed (O'Sullivan is right-handed), much to Robidoux's annoyance, with Robidoux accusing O'Sullivan of disrespect. O'Sullivan responded that he played better with his left hand than Robidoux could with his right. O'Sullivan later satisfied the World Snooker association that he could play to a professional standard with both hands, by playing the former World Billiards champion Rex Williams over 3 frames left-handed and winning every frame. The disciplinary charges were dropped as a result.

Off the table, Robidoux was well-known for his impressions of fellow snooker professionals, such as Alex Higgins and Steve Davis. He has a dog named Dalton.

External links

* [http://www.snooker.org/plr/bio/arobidoux.shtml A brief profile of Alain Robidoux]