2000 "Time To Get a Day Job" Awards

Well, here it is...a tradition started by Jacqueline Dupree (JD--the stat queen) back in 1990. So that would make this the 11th annual "Time To Get a Day Job Awards." This "honors" those players who have been KO'd in the first round (or second round if they received a first round bye) of tournaments on the ATP Tour (not qualies or challengers). It is sorted in two ways: By number of first round losses and then by percentage to total tournaments played. And this year, yes I did compile this myself. So if you sense any errors, let me know. And, remember, this is all in fun.

Note: Tournaments do not include World Team Cup or Tennis Masters Cup due to different format.

If you think about the nature of these awards, your first impression is that Vince Spadea is going to grab all the honors this year. Close, but not so! Our grand prize winners this year are Fernando Vicente and Jacobo Diaz. Spadea, however, finished second on both lists! Spadea had a total of 21 first round defeats. That was eclipsed only by Fernando Vicente, who lost a whopping 22 times in the first round. This is a Day Job record! Vicente, however, played more tournaments (33) than anyone else in the list. Also in the top 5 are Jeff Tarango with 18 losses, the fiery Australian, Andrew Ilie, with 17 and Olympic bronze medallist, Arnaud di Pasquale, with 16.

Looking at the percentage list, no one lost every ATP match they played (among those who have played in 10 or more). But Jacobo Diaz of Spain lost 10 of his 11 tournaments in the first round. Then there is Spadea again who lost 87.5% of his tournaments in the first round. Next are Lorenzo Manta of Switzerland and John van Lottum of the Netherlands, who lost 9 of 11. And rounding out the top 5 is Stephane Huet with 12 of 16.

Below is the full top 50 lists of this year's Time To Get a Day Job Awards. For previous years' awards:
1999
1998
1997
1996 (JD)
1995 (JD)
1994 (JD)

Number of first round losses: 
 
                                  First  Total 
                                  Round  Tourn. 
    Player               Country  Losses Played* Percentage 
    -------------------- -------  ------ ------  ----------  
 1  Vicente, Fernando      ESP      22     33    0.6667  
 2  Spadea, Vince          USA      21     24    0.8750  
 3  Tarango, Jeff          USA      18     25    0.7200  
 4  Ilie, Andrew           AUS      17     28    0.6071  
 5  Di Pasquale, Arnaud    FRA      16     25    0.6400  
 6  Alami, Karim           MAR      16     29    0.5517  
 7  Sargsian, Sargis       ARM      15     26    0.5769  
 8  Zabaleta, Mariano      ARG      15     27    0.5556  
 9  Martin, Alberto        ESP      15     28    0.5357  
 10 Voinea, Adrian         ROM      14     20    0.7000  
 11 Marin, Juan Antonio    CRC      14     21    0.6667  
 12 Ivanisevic, Goran      CRO      14     22    0.6364  
 13 Schuttler, Rainer      GER      14     26    0.5385  
 14 Johansson, Thomas      SWE      14     27    0.5185  
 15 Stanoytchev, Orlin     BUL      13     20    0.6500  
 16 Rochus, Christophe     BEL      13     22    0.5909  
 17 Sanguinetti, Davide    ITA      13     22    0.5909  
 18 Federer, Roger         SUI      13     28    0.4643  
 19 Clavet, Francisco      ESP      13     30    0.4333  
 20 Huet, Stephane         FRA      12     16    0.7500  
 21 Blanco, Galo           ESP      12     20    0.6000  
 22 Gaudio, Gaston         ARG      12     25    0.4800  
 23 Squillari, Franco      ARG      12     26    0.4615  
 24 Rosset, Marc           SUI      12     27    0.4444  
 25 Koubek, Stefan         AUT      12     28    0.4286  
 26 Pavel, Andrei          ROM      12     28    0.4286  
 27 Ruud, Christian        NOR      11     17    0.6471  
 28 Arthurs, Wayne         AUS      11     18    0.6111  
 29 Prinosil, David        GER      11     19    0.5789  
 30 Hantschk, Markus       GER      11     21    0.5238  
 31 Bastl, George          SUI      11     22    0.5000  
 32 Ljubicic, Ivan         CRO      11     22    0.5000  
 33 Costa, Albert          ESP      11     23    0.4783  
 34 Portas, Albert         ESP      11     23    0.4783  
 35 Woodruff, Chris        USA      11     23    0.4783  
 36 Black, Byron           ZIM      11     24    0.4583  
 37 Ferrero, Juan Carlos   ESP      11     26    0.4231  
 38 Novak, Jiri            CZE      11     26    0.4231  
 39 Diaz, Jacobo           ESP      10     11    0.9091  
 40 Berasategui, Alberto   ESP      10     14    0.7143  
 41 Saulnier, Cyril        FRA      10     14    0.7143  
 42 Agenor, Ronald         HAI      10     16    0.6250  
 43 Damm, Martin           CZE      10     17    0.5882  
 44 Sa, Andre              BRA      10     17    0.5882  
 45 Srichaphan, Paradorn   THA      10     17    0.5882  
 46 Tieleman, Laurence     ITA      10     19    0.5263  
 47 Meligeni, Fernando     BRA      10     21    0.4762  
 48 Goldstein, Paul        USA      10     23    0.4348  
 49 El Aynaoui, Younes     MAR      10     26    0.3846  
 50 Hrbaty, Dominik        SVK      10     28    0.3571  
 51 Santoro, Fabrice       FRA      10     28    0.3571 

* minimum 10 tournaments

Percentage of first round losses to total number of tournaments played:

                                  First  Total  
                                  Round  Tourn.  
    Player               Country  Losses Played* Percentage  
    -------------------- -------  ------ ------  ----------  
 1  Diaz, Jacobo           ESP      10     11    0.9091  
 2  Spadea, Vince          USA      21     24    0.8750  
 3  Manta, Lorenzo         SUI       9     11    0.8182  
 4  van Lottum, John       NED       9     11    0.8182  
 5  Huet, Stephane         FRA      12     16    0.7500  
 6  Tarango, Jeff          USA      18     25    0.7200  
 7  Berasategui, Alberto   ESP      10     14    0.7143  
 8  Saulnier, Cyril        FRA      10     14    0.7143  
 9  Voinea, Adrian         ROM      14     20    0.7000  
 10 Dupuis, Anthony        FRA       9     13    0.6923  
 11 Jonsson, Fredrik       SWE       9     13    0.6923  
 12 Knippschild, Jens      GER       9     13    0.6923  
 13 Vacek, Daniel          CZE       9     13    0.6923  
 14 Vicente, Fernando      ESP      22     33    0.6667  
 15 Marin, Juan Antonio    CRC      14     21    0.6667  
 16 Canas, Guillermo       ARG       8     12    0.6667  
 17 Mamiit, Cecil          USA       8     12    0.6667  
 18 Stanoytchev, Orlin     BUL      13     20    0.6500  
 19 Ruud, Christian        NOR      11     17    0.6471  
 20 Di Pasquale, Arnaud    FRA      16     25    0.6400  
 21 Ivanisevic, Goran      CRO      14     22    0.6364  
 22 Lareau, Sebastien      CAN       7     11    0.6364  
 23 Agenor, Ronald         HAI      10     16    0.6250  
 24 Zib, Tomas             CZE       8     13    0.6154  
 25 Arthurs, Wayne         AUS      11     18    0.6111  
 26 Ilie, Andrew           AUS      17     28    0.6071  
 27 Blanco, Galo           ESP      12     20    0.6000  
 28 Rochus, Christophe     BEL      13     22    0.5909  
 29 Sanguinetti, Davide    ITA      13     22    0.5909  
 30 Damm, Martin           CZE      10     17    0.5882  
 31 Sa, Andre              BRA      10     17    0.5882  
 32 Srichaphan, Paradorn   THA      10     17    0.5882  
 33 Hipfl, Markus          AUT       7     12    0.5833  
 34 Prinosil, David        GER      11     19    0.5789  
 35 Sargsian, Sargis       ARM      15     26    0.5769  
 36 Siemerink, Jan         NED       8     14    0.5714  
 37 Boutter, Julien        FRA       9     16    0.5625  
 38 Gaudenzi, Andrea       ITA       9     16    0.5625  
 39 Gimelstob, Justin      USA       9     16    0.5625  
 40 Zabaleta, Mariano      ARG      15     27    0.5556  
 41 Alami, Karim           MAR      16     29    0.5517  
 42 Schuttler, Rainer      GER      14     26    0.5385  
 43 Martin, Alberto        ESP      15     28    0.5357  
 44 Chela, Juan Ignacio    ARG       9     17    0.5294  
 45 Levy, Harel            ISR       9     17    0.5294  
 46 Tillstrom, Mikael      SWE       9     17    0.5294  
 47 Tieleman, Laurence     ITA      10     19    0.5263  
 48 Hantschk, Markus       GER      11     21    0.5238  
 49 Johansson, Thomas      SWE      14     27    0.5185  
 50 Bastl, George          SUI      11     22    0.5000  
 51 Ljubicic, Ivan         CRO      11     22    0.5000

* minimum 10 tournaments