MONTE CARLO, MONACO: World number one Roger Federer saluted great British loser Robert Dee on Wednesday (April 23) as the world number 1,466 managed to avoid being confirmed as the worst player on the planet.

Dee, 21, beat American teenager Arzhang Derkshani in a low-level tournament in Barcelona 6-4, 6-3 to record his first victory in 55 matches.

That unexpected win kept him level with Guatemalan Diego Beltranena who had also lost 54 matches on the trot.

"All you can do is work hard and hope it will turn in your favour," said Federer whose 40 million dollars in prize money dwarfs Dee's total of 2,220 dollars in his three years playing such tennis outposts as Rwanda and Sudan.

"It's not going to happen again. That's some streak to have against you."

Worryingly for Dee, he then lost his next match.