Career
Robidoux joined the pro circuit in the late 1980s, playing as a "non-tournament" professional. This entitled him to be listed on official rankings, although he could not play in most competitions. In 1988, Robidoux amassed enough points in the World Championship qualifiers to finish in the top 128 players, and thus allowing him to join the tour full-time.
In September 1988, he became only the sixth player ever to record an officially-ratified 147 maximum break in the qualifiers for the European Open.
Robidoux's best ranking event performance was reaching the final of the German Open in 1996 when he lost 7–9 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the first round of the 1996 World Championship, Robidoux was beaten 3–10 by O'Sullivan again, who played some shots, including a number of them in series, left-handed (O'Sullivan plays predominantly right-handed). This behaviour, described by one commentator as O'Sullivan "taking the mick". The matter came to a crux in the eleventh frame, with a peeved Robidoux, at this point 2–8 down, declining to concede the frame as is usual by custom, instead continuing to play for snookers despite a 43-point deficit with only the pink and black on the table. Robidoux refused to shake O'Sullivan's hand at the end of the match. The latter responded that he played better with his left hand than the former could with his right. O'Sullivan later satisfied the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association that he could play to a professional standard with both hands, by playing the former World Billiards Champion Rex Williams for three frames left-handed and winning every frame. WPBSA disciplinary charges were dropped as a result.
Robidoux reached the semi-finals of the 1997 World Snooker Championship, but subsequently slid rapidly down the rankings. He blamed his decline on the destruction of his favourite cue, which he referred to as "the Eel". The incident occurred after Robidoux returned the handmade cue to its maker – an elderly craftsman in Canada – for repairs. But when the cuemaker saw that the cue's butt had been adorned with the logo of Riley, a leading UK cue manufacturer, he took such grave offence he smashed the cue into pieces and sent the remains back to Robidoux. Several years later, Robidoux was asked whether the passage of time may have eased his anger towards the cue maker; "I want to kill him," was his heartfelt response.
Off the table, Robidoux is well known for his impressions of fellow snooker professionals, such as Alex Higgins and Steve Davis.
Read more about this topic: Alain Robidoux
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