The BBC sport website has joined the list of news organisations to have apologised to the tennis player Robert Dee for publishing a story wrongly stating that he had failed to win 54 consecutive games as a professional.

An apology was posted on the BBC website today stating that the April 2008 story about Dee was inaccurate and apologising to the player.

"In an article which appeared on the BBC Sport website on 22 April 2008 about tennis professional Robert Dee, we stated that he had finally won at the 55th attempt and after three years of trying," the apology reads.

"This was incorrect and we are happy to point out that in the period April 2007 to March 2008 alone, he won 20 matches and reached the final of a tournament in Almeria.

"We accept that these matches were professional, that they form part of Mr Dee's professional record and that the article was therefore inaccurate. We apologise to Mr Dee."

British-born Dee, who works full time as a tennis professional at La Manga in Spain had already won apologies last year from newspapers including the Guardian, the Sun and the Daily Mail following the publication of stories claiming that he was the world's worst professional in his sport.

Dee's website also cites more than 30 news agencies that have apologised to him over the claims.

This followed a series of articles that appeared in the British media from 22 April last year.

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