Neil Robertson (snooker player)

Neil Robertson

Neil Robertson at the 2013 German Masters
Born	(1982-02-11) 11 February 1982 (age 34) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sport country	Australia
Nickname	The Thunder from Down Under The Melbourne Machine
Professional	1998/99, 2000–2002, 2003–
Highest ranking	1
Current ranking	7 (as of 18 December 2016)
Career winnings	£3,129,890
Highest break	147 (3 times)
Century breaks	490
Tournament wins
Ranking	12
Minor-ranking	4
Non-ranking	4
World Champion	2010
www.neilrobertson.net

Neil Robertson (born 11 February 1982) is an Australian professional snooker player. He made his first breakthrough into the top professional ranks in the 2006/2007 season. He won the 2010 World Championship and was the world number one later in the same year, a ranking that he attained again in 2013 and also in 2014.

Robertson is the only Australian to have won a ranking event, and was undefeated in his first six televised finals. Robertson is also one of eleven players to win both the world and UK titles, and one of ten to win the triple crown of World Championship, UK Championship and Masters. During the 2013/2014 season he became the first player to make 100 centuries in a single season.

Robertson is considered Australia's best ever snooker player, as well as one of the best players from outside the United Kingdom in the sport's history. He plays left-handed.

Robertson began his snooker career at 14, when he became the youngest player to make a century break in an Australian ranking event. He began his professional career in the 1998/1999 season. Then, when he was 17 years old, he reached the third qualifying round of the 1999 World Championship.

In July 2003, Robertson won the World Under-21 Snooker Championship in New Zealand. This earned him a vital wildcard spot on the subsequent WPBSA Main Tour. In 2003 he won the qualifying tournament for a wildcard place at the 2004 Masters, where he subsequently lost 2–6 to Jimmy White in the first round.

In 2004/2005 season, he moved up to the top 32 in the rankings, reaching the final stages of 6 of the 8 tournaments, despite having to play at least 2 qualifying matches for each one. He qualified for the final stages of the 2005 World Championship, losing 7–10 to Stephen Hendry in the first round.