D.O.B. 11 Feb 1982
Lives Cambridge
Last 5 Seasons 9-10-7-13-28
Turned Pro 1998
Ranking Tournament Victories 5 - Grand Prix 2006, 2009; Welsh Open 2007; Bahrain
Snooker Championship 2008; Betfred.com World Snooker Championship 2010
Last season World Snooker Tour prize money_£391,335
Highest Tournament Break 147 – China Open 2010
Robertson made snooker history in May 2010 by becoming the first Australian to
win the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship title, and only the third non-British
player, after Cliff Thorburn and Ken Doherty, to lift the famous trophy._After
a routine 10-5 win over Fergal O’Brien to start to the tournament, Robertson
had to pull off the best comeback of his career to beat surprise package Martin
Gould. Londoner Gould played the snooker of his life to build an 11-5 lead after
two sessions, but in the concluding session, Robertson showed immense spirit
and skill to win eight of the last nine frames for a 13-12 success._“In
the first session I was scratching my head and wondering what was going on, has
he nicked Ronnie’s soul or something?” said Robertson, who admitted
he had checked out of his Sheffield apartment at 11-5. “To come back after
Martin played so well, with the wall lifted up and the whole Crucible watching,
is definitely one of the best wins of my career.”_
With John Higgins, who Robertson was seeded to meet in the quarter-finals, ousted
by Steve Davis, suddenly the Aussie had his eyes on glory. He easily saw off
Davis 13-5, then got the better of Ali Carter 17-12 to reach his first Crucible
final._He had never lost a ranking final in four previous attempts, and was determined
to continue that perfect record as he met gritty Scot Graeme Dott, the 2006 champion._After
losing the first session 5-3, Robertson recovered to lead 9-7 overnight, and
was able to nurse that lead through the last day. The match finished well after
midnight despite the fact that there could have been another four frames, and
it was Robertson whose stamina prevailed as he triumphed 18-13._“It was
such a titanic struggle of a match,” said the ecstatic antipodean. “When
you watch some finals you think the standard is bad, but when you’re in
the same position you realize how much pressure there is. The pressure before
the final and during the final, it’s just incredible._“
My Mum came over the day of the final, and I realized the potential of what impact
it could have back home in Australia. When I first came over to Cambridge, I
would not have thought I could have achieved this. I seriously cannot believe
it._“It’s great to have another champion from down under, England
can have the Ashes I’ll have the World Championship,” joked Robertson,
whose mood was lifted even higher a few days later when he became a father for
the first time, his Norwegian girlfriend Mille giving birth to a boy called Alexander._It
was not the first time Robertson had given a victory speech during the 2009/10
season, as he also won the Grand Prix at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow in October.
Wins over Gerard Greene, Ken Doherty and Joe Perry put him into the semi-finals,
where he edged an epic match against John Higgins 6-5 after his opponent had
over-cut a tricky long range black in the deciding frame by millimetres._The
final pitched Robertson against China’s Ding Junhui; only the second ranking
final between two non-British players in snooker history. And it was the Thunder
From Down Under who won the battle of the international bright young things,
by a 9-4 scoreline._“I was confident that my cue action would stand up
under pressure, and my game plan worked perfectly,” he said. “People
might have said I’d never beaten a top player in the final, but Ding is
world class."_
Overall, his results during the season took him to a career high of second place
in the official world rankings. He also topped the season’s century breaks
list, compiling 42 tons over the campaign. And for the icing on the cake, he
made his first official 147 maximum break during the Sanyuan Foods China Open…though
he lost the match 5-1 to Peter Ebdon._
He is the only player to have won a ranking event in each of the last five years.
Robertson beat Jamie Cope 9-5 in the 2006 Grand Prix final, Andrew Higginson
9-8 (from 8-6 down) in the 2007 Welsh Open and Matthew Stevens 9-7 in the 2008
Bahrain Championship. He is also the only player from outside Britain and Ireland
to have won five ranking events._The left-hander, considered the best long potter
in the world, also got to the semi-finals at the Crucible in 2009, losing 17-14
to Shaun Murphy after coming from 14-7 down to 14-14._Robertson, who comes from
Melbourne but is based in Cambridge during the season, made his first real impact
was winning the World Under-21 Championship in 2003, beating China’s Liu
Song 11-5 in the final at the Great Lake Centre in Taupo, New Zealand._Later
that year he won the qualifying competition for the Masters, beating Dominic
Dale 6-5 in the final, to earn a wild card to the Masters. He was handed a baptism
of fire at the London venue against local hero Jimmy White and lost 6-2.
An avid sports fan and a keen follower of rugby, cricket and Aussie Rules football,
Robertson has also learned to appreciate English football and decided to support
Chelsea after marvelling at the skills of Gianfranco Zola. He enjoys the music
of Timbaland, Metallica and Guns & Roses and asserts that if it wasn’t
for snooker, he would have made a career as a graphic designer.
