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Royal London Watches Grand Prix winner Neil Robertson has revealed his first ranking event title success has made him hungrier to win more honours.
But the popular Melbourne player admitted he came close to quitting the game when he was a teenager and recalled a miserable moment when he tried to snap his cue in half.
"There was one point when I was 19 when I just got fed up with it (the game) and got fed up with the tour.
"I was practising with the rest and actually tried to break my cue," Robertson said.
"It's an amazing story really. Because I'm so far away it just seems like a dream (being a snooker professional and winning a ranking event title). You think it's never going to happen.
"You have to commit so much and sacrifice so much. I wasn't that dedicated to the game.
"I actually hit it (my cue) against the table as hard as I could and it didn't break, and I thought maybe that could have been a better idea. I used that cue in the final, it was as straight as an arrow.
"That sort of turned it around a little bit. I was given a wild card a few seasons ago and I couldn't mess that opportunity up.
"I had to come over here, practice all the time and thankfully I'm starting to get the rewards now."
Robertson thumped Stoke qualifier Jamie Cope 9-5 in their best-of-17 frame final showdown at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
And after becoming the first Australian to win a ranking event title, Robertson has every confidence his trophy cabinet will start to fill up following his memorable triumph in Scotland.
"Hopefully this is the start of many tournaments for me," added Robertson.
"Hopefully a few younger players in Australia can start to play because if kids in Australia start and play - because of the Australian culture and because Australians tend to be so hungry to win - Australia could produce quite a few good players, there's no doubt about that.
"In the 80s snooker was very popular in Australia and when I went back home there were quite a few younger players playing. They were quite good.
"There's a nine-year-old who is knocking in 40-50 breaks back home, so they just need to be given the opportunities.
"It's so hard being so far away and I really hope this does raise the popularity of the sport back home.
"If winning tournaments doesn't do it, then I don't think anything else will do. I'm going to do everything I can do to promote the sport, especially when I'm back home."
Victory propelled Robertson up to seventh in the world rankings with Cope moving into 14th.
Beaten semi-finalists Alan McManus and Mark King were the other big climbers, the former rising 16 places into 36th and the latter up eight into 16th.
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Source: Sporting Life |
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