Jimmy Robertson is reaping significant rewards from successfully identifying that the mental side of snooker - so crucial to achieving success in a sport placing such huge demands on temperament – was undermining his undoubted talent.
It wasn’t even so much the single European Masters title on the CV for Robertson. But more the series of below par performances when it really mattered, in the spotlight, under the television lights, on the main table with all eyes on him.
So for Robertson, after stunning John Higgins on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Players' Championship - just months after almost falling off tour – it felt like more than just a one-off achievement, but a door opening out onto a different world of possibility.
The world No38 from Bexhill, who faces namesake Neil Robertson for a place in the final on Saturday night, pulled off a huge shock by beating defending champion Higgins 6-4 in Wolverhampton n Friday.
In 2021 four-time world champion Higgins dropped only four frames throughout the entire tournament as he went on to lift the trophy – but in this contest Robertson held his nerve in a tense finale to get over the line.
The 35-year-old has by his own admission often frozen on the big occasion – but working with mind coach and former magician AP O’Neill seems to be working wonders. And it was all the more sweet given that only a 6-5 win in the first World Championship qualifier against Zhao Jianbo last year secured his pro status.
Robertson said: “I would rate that as the biggest result of my career even though I have won a title – to beat John Higgins on a TV table in a huge tournament like the Players.
“It is massive for me, and just what I have been looking for, a major scalp on the big stage and the main table. I haven’t done anything since winning the European Masters for three years until now.
“My heart was pumping in that last frame, and I was so pleased to see that brown go in. After seeing what he had done earlier getting two snookers, you never feel safe. To beat John, one of the all-time greats, is amazing.
“The mind coach I use is a massive help for me, I have a lot of things going on in my head. He is very good at what he does and I get a lot of information out of him. But when you are out there playing you have to do it yourself and control the nerves and stay positive, and I did that today.”
Relive the final moments of John Higgins vs Jimmy Robertson.
Phew... that was tense đŹ #CazooSeries
And opening up more on what motivated him to follow the path of players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan by seeking an extra mental edge, Robertson added: “For me it has always been an issue of being able to perform the way I know I can.
“That is the next step I had to take and something I have been working so hard towards that goal. It is no good any player sitting there and saying I can do this or that in practice. You have to it out there when it matters under the most pressure, and that is what separates the best from the rest. I am not there yet, but the more wins I get the more confident I will become.
“And it is also about getting more of the right type of experience you need to win tournaments. I have been a pro for a good few years now. But I am still not always settled on the big stage, the more I will be used to it and hopefully do myself justice.
“I feel like I’ve had a new lease of life this season having come so close to losing my tour place, ikt has made me stronger. I have new management and will work with AP O’Neill for the whole season too – plus winning gives you confidence.
“Going through what I went through last season, having to win that first qualifier to stay on the tour…that was awful, horrible. It was totally my own fault, I just didn’t win enough matches. Luckily I just got over the line 6-5 and stayed on.”
Robertson doubled his money at the event to £30,000 for reaching the last four in Wolverhampton. Higgins had started a warm favourite to reach the semi-finals, and swiftly surged into an early 2-0 lead helped by breaks of 52 and 65.
But Robertson showed immediate notice of his own serious intent by getting straight back to 2-2 at interval with runs of 58 and 57. The Sussex pro made that three on the spin with a 59 to lead 3-2, only for the Scot to peg him back with a 68.
After a re-rack in frame seven Robertson laid down a big marker with a cool break of 102, and a brilliant shot freeing the black with most colours tied up helped him go 5-3 ahead.
Higgins never goes away quietly and a run of 80 kept his hopes alive, but after a rollercoaster 10th frame that saw Higgins claw back two snookers required Robertson just fell over the line.
Higgins said: “I under-hit a few shots and failed to clear up a couple of times, and you start to fear the worst. It wasn’t good today, a bad day at the office.
“Jimmy is confident at the moment after nearly falling off the tour last season, he is far too good to have been in that position and you are seeing that. But he will have to play better against Neil.”
