Neil Robertson - players.bio

‘The best it’s ever been’ – Neil Robertson thrilled with preparation ahead of World Snooker Championship

Former world champion Neil Robertson has said that his preparation for the Crucible is the ‘best it’s ever been’ after having more time than usual to prep for the showpiece event of the season. Robertson, the 2010 champion, has missed parts of the season with illness and whilst it hasn’t been enough to knock him out of the top 16 it did see him miss a couple of the tournaments before the World Championship starts. Ad Speaking to Eurosport’s Rachel Casey ahead of the tournament Robertson said there was something special about the Crucible, and he was happy with the way he had prepared.

O'Sullivan starts World Championship against Pang Junxu

Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will take on Pang Junxu in the first round of the World Snooker Championship while Mark Selby will kick off his campaign with a meeting with Matthew Selt.

World Snooker Championship draw: Ronnie O’Sullivan meets Pang Junxu, Judd Trump faces Anthony McGill

Ronnie O’Sullivan will open his bid for a record eighth World Championship title against Pang Junxu in the first round at the Crucible in Sheffield. O'Sullivan has only defended his world title once — in 2013 — when he did not play for most of the season. Ad Four-time champions Mark Selby and John Higgins face Matthew Selt and David Grace respectively, while Neil Robertson takes on Wu Yize and Judd Trump meets Anthony McGill.

Neil Robertson hoping to learn from Ronnie O'Sullivan as he pursues World Championship title in Sheffield

Neil Robertson says he is hoping to learn from Ronnie O'Sullivan's World Championship victory last year as he aims to become a multiple world champion. Robertson has struggled for form since the 2021-22 season when he won four major titles, exiting the World Championship last year at the last-16 stage. Ad The Australian says he was impressed by O'Sullivan's ability to win matches and seal his seventh world title even though he felt the Rocket was not playing his best snooker.

Ronnie O’Sullivan exclusive on World Snooker Championship title rivals Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson

Ronnie O'Sullivan is the 4/1 favourite with bookmakers to land a record eighth world snooker title, but the defending champion does not pay attention to any of the pre-tournament hype swirling around Sheffield at this time of year. O'Sullivan has lifted the elite invitational Hong Kong Masters (6-4 against Marco Fu) and Champion of Champions (10-6 against Judd Trump) this season, but has toiled to make an impact in the ranking events with his best returns coming via quarter-final appearances at the UK Championship and Welsh Open.

World Championship: Who could challenge Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and become a first-time Crucible winner?

Here is a fact to blow your mind: the last World Championship to feature two debut Crucible finalists was back in 1981. Steve Davis and Doug Mountjoy were each appearing in the world final for the first time. In every world title match in the 42 years since at least one of the finalists has been either a previous winner or runner-up.

World Snooker Championship 2023: Schedule, results, order of play, live scores from the Crucible

The qualifiers for the World Snooker Championship are entering the business end and that can only mean one thing: the World Championship is soon to start. Qualifying concludes on the evening of April 12. And the draw for the first round will happen on April 13 at 08:45 BST.

Graeme Dott explains misery of missing out on Crucible as 2006 world snooker champion defeats Andy Hicks – 'Horrific'

Graeme Dott moved within one win of ending his four-year wait to return to the Crucible Theatre with a 10-6 win over Andy Hicks in the penultimate round of qualifying in Sheffield. The 2006 world champion – who made his second career maximum against Pang Junxu in last year's qualifiers – has not played on the sport's biggest stage since losing 10-9 to Stuart Bingham in the first round in 2019. Ad He was forced to repel a minor recovery from 1995 Crucible semi-finalist Hicks, who closed to 9-6 from 9-3 behind before the Scotsman secured the frame he needed to reach the final round of qualifiers with a closing run of 52.

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Neil Robertson Sport News

‘The best it’s ever been’ – Neil Robertson thrilled with preparation ahead of World Snooker Championship

O'Sullivan starts World Championship against Pang Junxu

World Snooker Championship draw: Ronnie O’Sullivan meets Pang Junxu, Judd Trump faces Anthony McGill

Neil Robertson hoping to learn from Ronnie O'Sullivan as he pursues World Championship title in Sheffield

Ronnie O’Sullivan exclusive on World Snooker Championship title rivals Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson

World Championship: Who could challenge Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and become a first-time Crucible winner?

World Snooker Championship 2023: Schedule, results, order of play, live scores from the Crucible

Graeme Dott explains misery of missing out on Crucible as 2006 world snooker champion defeats Andy Hicks – 'Horrific'