NEIL ROBERTSON has slammed the “insane” and “unacceptable” snooker schedule – with stars going from Brentwood to Beijing within 24-48 hours.
The English Open starts on Monday in Essex but anyone going deep in that tournament faces a mad dash to China for the £700,000 Wuhan Open, which begins on Monday October 9.
GettyNeil Robertson is unhappy a top Chinese event has been scheduled for the day after one of the Home Nations Series tournaments[/caption]
Snooker stars have struggled to know when exactly to book flights to the Chinese capital of Beijing – since there are no direct trips to Wuhan, the epicentre of the Covid pandemic in late 2019.
Finalists at the English Open would have to fly to the Far East the next day and then, despite the inevitable jetlag, contest a first-round match on either Wednesday or Thursday.
According to the Australia’s 2010 world champion, baize aces cannot take their cues on domestic high-speed trains.
So equipment may have to be driven 11 HOURS by coach unless individuals take internal flights instead of railway journeys.
The winner of the Wuhan Open will earn £140,000 in prize money and players are fined if they withdraw at a late stage without proper medical reasons.
Robertson, 41, told SunSport: “It’s ludicrous. It’s insane.
“I was talking to Mark Selby about it. I said: ‘What are you doing with the flights?’
“We just decided to book the flight for this Saturday, so if we lose in the quarter-final of the English Open, we can catch the flight.
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GettyThe Australian is one of the most respected players in the sport and popular in the Far East[/caption]
“But then what happens if we get to the final? We then have to change that flight to the Monday.
“So we’re potentially flying out on the Monday, landing Tuesday and playing very soon after that.
“I don’t know if the tennis tour do it like that. Or the golf tour. I find it absolutely shocking.
“It’s unacceptable, it’s insane, what you are putting a player through.
“You know they’re going to get a really poor preparation because you need two or three days to get used to it.
“We cannot take cues on the bullet trains. So World Snooker are trying to organise for when we arrive in Beijing for someone to drive a minibus of our cues.
“If you fly business class and have your best preparation possible – like good sleep on the plane – they’re over £5,000. Which is insane. Even economy is quite expensive.
“When I went to the Shanghai Masters last month, I arrived on the Saturday but wasn’t playing until the Wednesday.
“So I had Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and then I was ready.
“If I had had to play on the Sunday or the Monday, I wouldn’t have been right to play.
“Nobody is happy about it. But what can we do?”
In response, a World Snooker Tour spokesperson said: “This season we have brought four huge events in China on to our calendar.
“This has been a massive boost for the tour and has increased prize money by several million pounds.
“China is a highly significant growth area and the players will expect us to maximise those opportunities in the future.
“A packed calendar can cause scheduling issues in any sport – for example the Formula One roster regularly jumps between continents.
“Broadcasters in each territory often prefer events to be spread out rather than back-to-back.
“But we work with our partners and broadcasters to find the best solutions and we always listen to feedback from the players.”
GettyLuca Brecel is set to be one of the big name competing in Wuhan next week[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
