Snooker star with tremor knocks out two world champions at flush Saudi occasion
Jimmy Robertson has been eliminated from the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters – but only after ousting two world champions from the cash-drenched competition himself.
Robertson – who only went public with the fact he’d developed an unfortunate tremor last year – was knocked out of the quarter-finals following a 6-0 defeat by Mark Williams on Thursday. However, the lowest-seeded player (49) to reach the last eight left an indelible mark on the tournament before his eventual exit in Riyadh.
The 38-year-old managed to knock out reigning world champion Kyren Wilson and four-time winner John Higgins before his own departure. The Mirror reported how he defeated The Wizard of Wishaw 5-2 in the fifth round and twice came from behind to trump Wilson 6-4, prolonging his hopes of claiming the £500,000 first-place prize.
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This achievement was all the more remarkable considering the involuntary muscle movements that have come to impact his life for several seasons. Although Robertson has admitted to having the tremor for “a few years,” it was only in 2023 that he publicly acknowledged this life-altering development.
On the eve of the tournament, Robertson said: “It’s an ongoing thing which won’t go away so I am just trying to adapt and stay confident. I have to accept it, get on with my career and look forward to each tournament. In my day to day life it seems a bit better than it was before, but in pressure situations at the big events when the adrenaline kicks in, that’s when it affects me most.”
It’s just as well high-pressure situations aren’t rife in snooker. Robertson isn’t alone among tremor-suffers in the sport, however, with the likes of Scott Donaldson – whom Jimmy has spoken with regarding the affliction – and Jamie Cope developing their own conditions in the past.
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(Image: VCG via Getty Images)
After dispatching current world champ Wilson this week, Robertson said: “It was a real struggle against Kyren, but it’s a massive win for me, to beat the world champion. I played him in China a couple of weeks ago and lost 5-4 from 4-2 up. There were moments tonight when bad thoughts started creeping in that the same thing could happen again.
“It’s a good run, to get to the quarter-finals of such a big tournament. Hopefully I can relax now and show how I can play. There are only eight players left and there are some all-time greats in there. But if I can play my snooker and forget about everything else, I’ve always got a chance.”
While he won’t battle it out for the grand prize in Riyadh, Robertson’s tidy £50,000 reward for a quarter-final venture is nothing to scoff at. And his determination to succeed despite what many others might consider a career-ending hurdle serves as an inspiration to countless others.
