Okay so this Robert Kendrick thing started bugging me. Was watching some old tennis highlights, saw this American guy play, seemed decent, good serve, fought hard… name flashed up: Robert Kendrick. And I swear, NOT a single soul remembered him. Mentioned him to my buddy who eats sleeps tennis stats, and he just shrugged. That got me curious. Why was this guy who played pros practically invisible now? Had to dig.
First thing I did, total basic human move: jumped on the ATP stats site. Searched his name. Boom, profile pops up. Okay, career span: 2000 to 2013. That’s a decent chunk of time right there. Highest singles ranking was… World No. 69? Huh. Expected maybe top 50 given I saw him playing main draw somewhere. Makes you pause.
Scrolled down, checked his main tour match record. Won 34, lost 76. Oof. That win-loss kinda stings. Yeah, he competed on the main tour, but the numbers screamed journeyman more than contender. Kept digging into results. Found some bright spots:
- A few big Wimbledon runs popping up. Third round couple times. Not bad on grass.
- Even pulled off a surprise first-round shocker at the Australian Open one year, beating a seed I think.
- Played Davis Cup for the US! That’s gotta count for something.
But here’s the kicker, the real gut punch I totally didn’t see coming. Buried deeper, maybe I skipped it first glance… but then I spotted it. A doping suspension. Back in 2013. Got hit with a ban right before he retired. Found an old news snippet talking about it. Some stimulant was the reason. Positive test. Felt kinda sad. Talk about your career going out with a whimper… and a scandal.
So then I’m sitting here, looking at this profile. Solid serve, fought hard yeah. Played majors, even nicked wins. Repped his country. But… highest rank stuck near 70. Win loss record was rough. Then capped it off with that ban. Suddenly it made a terrible, brutal sense.
He wasn’t winning big titles, rarely made waves deep in tournaments. Just grinding out first and second rounds mostly. Always the underdog, usually losing. No flashy “signature” moments etched in tennis history. Just a hardworking journeyman. And that final stumble? The suspension? Man, that just sealed it. It erased whatever little legacy he was building. Tennis history kinda sweeps guys like this under the rug unless they’re outright characters, which he wasn’t. Solid player, tough competitor, completely overshadowed by giants and his own tough results… plus that ending. Mystery solved. Kinda depressing, actually.
