Jimmy Robertson Interview: A message of intent in the pursuit of glory

Gary Moss
23 March 2022
3:00:00 min read

Robertson seeking no distractions at the table

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With the BetVictor Gibraltar Open on the horizon, snooker star Jimmy Robertson opens up on how his mobile phone may be costing him a shot at winning a title...

"It's great to have the support but I was just staring at my phone for so long."

Jimmy Robertson isn't afraid to give his friends and family the cold shoulder if it helps him pick up a trophy on the baize.

The world number 29 has bounced back magnificently from the brink of losing his place on the professional tour to reach two big semi-finals this season.

But as he looks to go further and add to his maiden ranking event win at the 2018 European Masters, he believes it could be time to reassess how much time he spends on his phone to his nearest and dearest during tournaments - especially when he picks up a few results.

"Your phone goes mental and then you end up reading through all your messages and replying to people and it drains you," he told Betfair. "It's nice to read through all your messages when you've got a bit of time - when you're lying in bed - but you're reading 100-odd messages, then replying to people - and then they reply again - and people want to talk to you."

This was something which happened to the extreme in his recent run to the last four of the Players Championship. Wins against Luca Brecel and John Higgins attracted plenty of attention and on reflection, he thinks the distraction of messages of well wishes may have cost him in the semi-finals against Neil Robertson. Now he's ready to cut off the noise in a bid to land silverware.

"It's great to have the support but I was just staring at my phone for so long," he said. "It knackers me out, and because you're buzzing, you don't sleep well that night, then you have a bad sleep and wake up the next day; you don't feel fresh at all, so I've got to learn from this.

"I think you need to just literally ignore your phone for a few days and concentrate on what you're there to do, and then get back to everyone when you've finished.

"I think it's just the little things that I've got to try to give myself a better chance next time I get in that situation, so I'll learn from things that I've done."

Comfortable on camera

An important factor in Robertson's recent resurgence has been adapting to playing big matches on the biggest stage - which often results in prime-time slots in front of the cameras.

"I've played a lot of TV matches (this season) - that's what I was really struggling with before.

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"Like anything - the more you do it, the more confident you get at it. I'm not dreading going out there and playing these players now - I'm actually looking forward to it - it's more excitement.

"I've got the belief that I can beat anybody now," said the potter from Bexhill-on-Sea. "Obviously, you need to perform to a pretty high level and that's what I've really struggled with because I haven't had the belief, and I've doubted myself which makes me nervous, and when I get in that state, then I freeze and can't play."

More to come

Robertson finds himself ranked inside the top 16 on the current one-year ranking list which demonstrates the progress he has made on the table.

The consistency he has discovered means he is classing the campaign as his best yet - but he is sure there is still more to come.

"This season - money-wise - the consistency has been the best, but I've got a taste of getting to later stages of tournaments, and - yeah - I want a bit more of that.

"I'm going the right way, but I'm still at the bottom of the slope - I'm still trying to get to where I want to be.

"I don't think that I'm the best player in the world at all - I just know that I have another couple of gears to go up at least. I want to be in the top 16 and I want to win more tournaments. I've had a taste of winning a tournament, and I just want to be in the latter stages of more tournaments."

Jimmy Robertson faces Tian Pengfei on Thursday in the first round of the Gibraltar Open.