French Canadian, Alain Robidoux, reached the semi-finals of the 1987 World Amateur Championship in Bangalore losing out to eventual winner, Darren Morgan. He obtained associate professional status and four months later was in the qualifiers for the Embassy World Championships making him the only player to play in both world amateur and professional events in the same season. He gained the distinction of obtaining full professional status without potting a ball. Both his first and second round opponents withdrew and although he lost his third round match, he had achieved sufficient points to ensure a place on the main tour for the 1988/89 season with a ranking of 102.

He began his first pro season by winning the Canadian professional title and then made a maximum 147 break in the qualifying rounds of the European Open in Blackpool. He reached the semi final of the Grand Prix at Reading and the last 16 of the European Open as well as two other last 32 places. That took him up to the verge of the top 32 at number 35. The following season he made it to another semi-final, the BCE International and two last 16 spots. In four other events he reached the last 32 including his first visit to the Crucible. He ended the season 17^th in the rankings.

Another consistent season in 1990/91 including the British Open quarter-finals and the last 16 of the Embassy took him into the top 16 at 13^th and he maintained his place in the elite with three more quarter-finals the following season. In 1992/3 however, he lost his opening match in six of the nine ranking events and he was back down to 18^th.  Another poor season followed and he only just hung on in the top 32.

Alain regained some of his form in 1994/5 and moved up a few places and after another ranking semi-final in the International Open in 1995/6 he managed to regain his top 16 place at number 14. 1996/7 proved to be his best season to date. He was runner up to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the German Open as well as reaching the quarter-finals of both the Grand Prix and UK Championship. He then went on to reach the semi-final at the Crucible where he lost to the eventual winner, Ken Doherty. He achieved his best ever ranking of ninth by the season’s end.

There then followed a remarkable loss of form for in the following season Alain failed to win a single match. He was not helped by losing his favourite cue but somehow held on to a place in the top 16. He managed a couple of wins the next season but by now was thoroughly depressed and down to 36^th in the rankings. His depression continued and he failed to play most of the tournaments in 1999/2000 and his ranking dropped to 49^th. He came back refreshed the next season but his results were only moderate and he dropped further down the ranking list to 78^th, just managing to retain a place on the tour for 2001/2. Further indifferent results in the next campaign resulted in a rise of just one place.

The 2002/03 season brought little improvement with four first round defeats and failing to get beyond round three in any event. The result was a drop to 91^st in the rankings and failure to qualify for next season’s tour. The WSA authorities smiled down on him however, and he was given one of the concessionary ‘wild cards’ places for the 2003/04 campaign. The faith shown in him however was not repaid as, apart from a good run in the UK, he won only one other match and pulled out of three events and dropped off the tour.

Alain was always demand on the trick shot circuit. His speciality is his finger spinning where he pots ball by spinning the cue ball in his fingers rather that using a cue. He had earned over £675,000 in prize money up to the end of the 2003/04 season.