Neil Robertson
Neil Alexander Robertson is an Australian professional snooker player, who is a former world champion and former world number one. He is the only non-UK born player to have completed snooker's Triple Crown, having won the World Championship in 2010, the Masters in 2012 and 2022, and the UK Championship in 2013, 2015 and 2020. He has claimed 26 career ranking titles and won at least one professional tournament each year between 2006 and 2022.
Robertson first turned professional in the 199899 season but dropped off the tour. He rejoined the tour for the 200304 season where his results improved, later becoming the first Australian to win a ranking event when he won the 2006 Grand Prix. In 2009, he reached the semi-finals of the World Championships for the first time, and the following year he won his first world title, defeating Graeme Dott in the final. In 2012, he won his first Masters title, and in 2013, he won his first UK Championship title, becoming the eighth player to complete the triple crown. He won the UK Championship again in 2015, becoming the first player to score a maximum break in a triple crown final. He won the event for a third time in 2020, scoring a tournament record 13 centuries.
Robertson has continued to win tournaments into his forties, with his most recent ranking event victory coming at the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. He is one of four players to have compiled over 1,000 career century breaks in professional competition, including five maximum breaks. In the 2013–14 season, he became the first player to make 100 centuries in a single season, finishing with a then-record 103 centuries. Robertson was named World Snooker Tour Player of the Year for the 202122 season. He is a member of the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame and plays left-handed.
Life and career
Early career
Robertson first played snooker aged 11 at the pool club owned by his family. He started his snooker career aged 14, and was victorious in the Australian under-18 snooker championship. Robertson left school aged 15 with no qualifications in order to pursue his ambition of becoming a professional snooker player. His professional career began in the 199899 season, and at the age of 17 he reached the fourth qualifying round of the 1999 World Championship where he was defeated by Leo Fernandez.During the 200102 season, Robertson relocated from Melbourne to Leicester, England, and developed homesickness. Reflecting back on his time there, Robertson said: "I didn’t enjoy living there at all. It was completely different to Melbourne, so I really struggled." Robertson dropped off the main tour and returned to Australia where he worked in a pub. He continued to play the game, and in July 2003 he won the World Under-21 Snooker Championship in New Zealand, before moving back to the United Kingdom and rejoining the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association main tour. This time, Robertson lived in Cambridge with two friends and adjusted much quicker. In December 2003, he made it through qualifying to book a place at the 2004 Masters, where he was knocked out of the tournament 2–6 by Jimmy White in the opening round. Robertson described his experience of playing White as being "like a rabbit in the headlights." Robertson's first ranking event quarter-final came at the 2004 European Open, where he was eliminated again by White.
In the 2004–05 season, Robertson reached the quarter-finals at the 2005 Welsh Open. He whitewashed Robert Milkins in the first round, before progressing past both White and John Higgins. He then suffered a 4–5 defeat by Ronnie O'Sullivan. He also made it to the quarter-finals of the Malta Cup by defeating Mark Williams and White, but then succumbed to Higgins who beat him 2–5. Robertson later qualified for the 2005 World Championship, losing 7–10 to Stephen Hendry in the first round.
In 2005–06, he reached the top 16 of the rankings by the end of the season. He reached the semi-finals at the Northern Ireland Trophy, where he led 4–1, but ended up losing 4–6 to Matthew Stevens. Robertson also made it to the quarter-finals of the 2005 UK Championship, where he lost 5–9 to Ding Junhui, and the 2006 World Championship, in which he fought back from 8–12 down to level at 12–12 against Graeme Dott, before losing the final frame by inadvertently potting the final pink which he needed on the table in his attempts to snooker Dott.
Breakthrough: first ranking title
During the 2006–07 season, Robertson secured his maiden ranking title win at the 2006 Grand Prix. He beat O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals and Alan McManus in the semi-finals to reach his first ranking final. This also marked the first time an Australian had made it to a ranking event final since Warren King in 1990. In the final, his opponent was the unseeded Jamie Cope whom he defeated 9–5, becoming the first Australian to win a ranking event. Afterwards, he had early exits in both the 2006 UK Championship, and the 2007 Masters. He then made it to the final of the Welsh Open. He defeated Hendry in the last 16 and then overcame O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals. After that he beat Steve Davis in the semi-finals, and finalist Andrew Higginson 9–8 to take the title. Robertson recovered from 6–8 down to win. He reached the second round of the 2007 World Championship, but lost 10–13 to O'Sullivan.Robertson started the 2007–08 season with early exits in three of the first four ranking events, as well as at the 2008 Masters in January, where he lost. His Welsh Open title defence also ended early, as he was defeated in the last 16 by Ali Carter 3–5. At the 2008 World Championship, Robertson was defeated in the last 16 by Maguire 713, and he finished the season ranked tenth.
In the 2008–09 season, Robertson progressed to the final of the Bahrain Championship, where he played Stevens. The match lasted almost six hours in total, with Robertson triumphing 9–7. During their quarter-final match at the 2009 Masters, Robertson and his opponent Maguire set a record of five consecutive century breaks. Robertson made two centuries and Maguire made three: Robertson lost the match 36. At the 2009 World Championship, Robertson defeated Davis, Carter and Maguire to reach the semi-finals of the World Championship for the first time, before losing to Shaun Murphy 14–17, after recovering from 7–14 behind to level at 14–14.
2009–2013
In October 2009, Robertson clinched the Grand Prix trophy in Glasgow with a 9–4 win over Ding. It was the first ranking event final since 1985 to feature two overseas players. He compiled his 100th career century during the event. Robertson's fourth ranking title made him the most prolific player from outside the UK and Ireland in terms of career ranking-event victories. At the China Open, Robertson made his first official maximum break. The break secured him £20,000 in prize money but he lost his second-round match against Peter Ebdon 15.Robertson defeated Fergal O'Brien in his opening match at the 2010 World Championship 10–5, and he then recovered from 5–11 down to win 13–12 against Martin Gould in their second-round match. He then defeated Davis 13–5 and Carter 17–12 to reach the final, where he overcame Dott 18–13. Robertson was the first player from outside the UK and Ireland to win the title since Canada's Cliff Thorburn in 1980. Record books show that Robertson was the second Australian player to win the world snooker title, however Horace Lindrum who won in 1952 is not widely regarded as a credible world champion because the sport's leading players staged a boycott that year. As a result, some observers consider Robertson to be the first Australian world snooker champion. The win took Robertson to a career-high ranking of world number two.
At the 2010 World Open, Robertson reached the final where he beat O'Sullivan 5–1 to confirm his position as world number one. He was invited to the 2010 Premier League Snooker, where he progressed to the semi-finals, but lost 1–5 against O'Sullivan. Robertson reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 UK Championship, where he lost 7–9 to Murphy, and the quarter-finals of the 2011 Masters, losing 4–6 to Mark Allen. He could not defend his title at the 2011 World Championship, as he was defeated 8–10 in the first round by Judd Trump. Robertson became the latest player to fail to defend his first world title, supposedly a victim of the Crucible curse, where no first time winner has ever successfully defended their title at the Crucible.
Robertson started the 201112 season with a defeat to Dominic Dale in the last 16 of his home tournament, the Australian Goldfields Open. At the Shanghai Masters, he reached the semi-finals before losing 5–6 to Williams.
His first silverware of the season came in Warsaw at the PTC Event 6, where he beat Ricky Walden 4–1 in the final. This success was followed by another PTC title in Event 8 where he again won 4–1, this time against Trump. He would later finish third in the Order of Merit and therefore qualify for the 2012 PTC Finals. His form continued into the 2011 UK Championship in York, where he beat Tom Ford, Dott and Ding en route to his first semi-final at the event. He played Trump but was eliminated 7–9.
Robertson won the 2012 Masters by defeating Murphy 10–6. He overcame Allen and Williams in the opening two rounds, before facing Trump in the semi-finals. He exacted revenge for his defeat in York a month earlier by winning 6–3 and said after the match that he had been spurred on by fans cheering when Trump fluked shots. Earlier in the tournament Robertson had offered to buy a pint of beer for anyone attending his matches in an Australian hat or shirt, In the final, he secured a 5–3 lead over Murphy in the first session, and then went on secure the win and become the fourth man from outside the United Kingdom to win the event.
Robertson later saw his run of nine televised finals without defeat come to an end when he was whitewashed 0–4 by Stephen Lee in the PTC Finals.
Robertson was drawn to play Ken Doherty in the first round of the 2012 World Championship. Robertson won the match 10–4, then beat qualifier David Gilbert 13–9 to set up a quarter-final clash with O'Sullivan. Robertson was 5–3 ahead after the first session, but his opponent won six frames in a row and Robertson went on to lose 10–13. He finished the season ranked world number seven.
Robertson began the 201213 season with some early defeats as he lost in the first round of the Wuxi Classic and the second round of the Australian Goldfields Open. He was then victorious at the minor-ranking Gdynia Open in Poland. He sealed the title by defeating Jamie Burnett 4–3 in the final. At the inaugural International Championship in Chengdu, China, Robertson made the final and led Trump 8–6, but then lost four consecutive frames to suffer an 8–10 defeat. He then reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 UK Championship to face Mark Selby. Robertson squandered a 4–0 lead to lose 4–6 in a match that finished after midnight.
Robertson began 2013 by attempting to defend his Masters title. He reached the final where he faced Selby. Robertson won three frames from 3–8 down in the final, before Selby held off the fightback by taking the two frames he required to win 6–10. Robertson finished fifth on the PTC Order of Merit to qualify for the Tour Championship Finals. He made it to the final to face Ding, but from 3–0 ahead he lost four consecutive frames as Ding triumphed 3–4.
Robertson claimed victory at the China Open, winning his seventh career ranking event. He advanced to the final and exacted revenge over Selby for his 6–10 Masters loss in January by defeating him by the same scoreline, moving to world number two in the process. In the 2013 World Championship, he lost to Milkins 8–10 in the first round, saying afterwards that he should have gone out to win the match rather than getting too involved in safety. He finished the season ranked world number two. In 2013, Robertson was named in the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame.