Neil Robertson might not have the best preparation ahead of his English Open title defence, but is on an emotional high and feels as relaxed as ever.
The 43-year-old landed the biggest title of the season so far by beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters last month, pocketing £500,000 for his efforts.
The Australian saw that triumph as the best of his career, despite landing the World Championship title in 2010, such was the emotional nature of the victory over the Rocket, having slipped down the rankings in the 2023/24 season and missed out on the Crucible as a result.
It has been a special time for the Thunder from Down Under as he went from Saudi Arabia back to his homeland to be given his medal of the Order of Australia, which he was awarded earlier this year.
The OAM is the highest civilian honour that can be bestowed by the Australian government, similar to the MBE.
Still in Australia, Robertson is back in the UK on Saturday before beginning the defence of his English Open title in Brentwood on Tuesday, so it’s not ideal prep, but he is feeling great nevertheless.
‘I come back on Saturday, so a very short turnaround for the English Open,’ he said. ‘So expectations are obviously different if I was in the UK and I’ve been practicing for a couple of weeks.
‘But I think that I’m on such an emotional high from winning in Saudi and receiving the honour, spending time with family.
‘In terms of the preparation on the table, not great, but I don’t think it’s really going to matter much at all. I still get a couple of days practice when I get back.
‘In some ways it’s actually probably the most relaxed I’ve ever been going into a tournament.’
After winning in Jeddah, Robertson opted out of the Wuhan Open to head back to Australia, receive his honour and mentally reset before a busy time on the snooker calendar back in the UK.
‘I was not in a place mentally to be able to compete in Wuhan,’ he said. ‘I could have gone there, maybe could have got through a few rounds, but eventually I would have hit a mental brick wall.
‘I’ve been there so many times before where I’ve played in events and we’ve got this really quick turnaround. I was in Shanghai for the Shanghai Masters, then I was in Hong Kong for a week, then flew to Saudi. I hadn’t been back in the UK for pushing a month, living in a hotel.
‘You need that mental reset and obviously I was being awarded with the Medal of the Order of Australia as well. That was incredible to receive that honour.
‘In Australia they don’t and out awards to sports people lightly. They’re very hard to come by.
‘To get the confirmation that I was actually going to be receiving it was unbelievable. That gave me a huge boost and it was a very proud moment for me and my family, who were there on Tuesday.’
Robertson won the English Open for a second time when he beat Wu Yize in a memorable final in Essex last season.
He will play David Lilley or Sunny Akani in his opener on Tuesday as he looks to become the first player to win the event three times.
