NEIL ROBERTSON has heaped praise on his new team in the wake of his stunning Saudi Arabia Masters victory.
The Aussie battled to a narrow 10-9 victory in a fantastic final against snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan.
GettyAustralian snooker star Neil Robertson has given credit to his ‘life-changing’ team[/caption]
GettyThe former world champ beat Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the Saudi Arabia Masters at the weekend[/caption]
The 43-year-old netted the tournament’s substantial £500,000 prize and climbed to third in the WST snooker rankings, leapfrogging his final opponent to slot in below second-place Kyren Wilson.
He said: “This is a huge rebound from right at the bottom.
“Things couldn’t have been any worse for me 18 months ago. So to be able to come back the way I have I think this is a feel good story.”
It has been a tough run for the former world champion in recent years.
He missed tournaments and slipped down the rankings in 2023, culminating in him missing the 2024 world championships and being forced to play in qualifiers and losing.
To go from a fading star to the winner of one of the biggest prize pots in professional snooker has been quite the turnaround.
It is a resurgence that the Thunder from Down Under attributes in part to his new team, featuring sports psychologist Helen Davis and coach Joe Perry.
He continued: “I always thought I was really strong mentally, which I am, but I think when you see an actual specialist, a sports psychologist, and you look at tennis players and golfers…
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“They’re always thanking their team whenever they win, that’s the first people they thank is their team.
“That’s what I’ve managed to set up with Helen Davis, who’s worked with Wimbledon champions, and with Joe [Perry].
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
1969 – John Spencer
1970 – Ray Reardon
1971 – John Spencer
1972 – Alex Higgins
1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
1977 – John Spencer (2)
1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
1979 – Terry Griffiths
1980 – Cliff Thorburn
1981 – Steve Davis
1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
1983 – Steve Davis (2)
1984 – Steve Davis (3)
1985 – Dennis Taylor
1986 – Joe Johnson
1987 – Steve Davis (4)
1988 – Steve Davis (5)
1989 – Steve Davis (6)
1990 – Stephen Hendry
1991 – John Parrott
1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
1997 – Ken Doherty
1998 – John Higgins
1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
2000 – Mark Williams
2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2002 – Peter Ebdon
2003 – Mark Williams (2)
2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
2005 – Shaun Murphy
2006 – Graeme Dott
2007 – John Higgins (2)
2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
2009 – John Higgins (3)
2010 – Neil Robertson
2011 – John Higgins (4)
2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
2014 – Mark Selby
2015 – Stuart Bingham
2016 – Mark Selby (2)
2017 – Mark Selby (3)
2018 – Mark Williams (3)
2019 – Judd Trump
2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
2021 – Mark Selby (4)
2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
2023 – Luca Brecel
2024 – Kyren Wilson
2025 – Zhao Xintong
Most World Titles (modern era)
7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
2 – Alex Higgins
“At the start of the summer the three of us were on a Zoom call and we talked for about two hours about what is the plan for the season, the mindset, the style of play, what we want to achieve and to see it all come together so quickly is amazing.
“Helen has just transformed my life, she really has.”
Winning any major tournament is a statement, but doing so against a marauding O’Sullivan is a particularly emphatic way to start the snooker season.
Whether it be his team or newfound confidence to blame, Robertson has clearly reinstated himself as a force to be reckoned with this year.
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