Neil Robertson’s hopes of making a flying start to the 2023/24 snooker season were left in tatters after he suffered an early exit at the European Masters.
The Australian star was seeded seventh for the tournament in Germany, but was dumped out in the qualifying round by China’s Wu Yize.
Roberston was in contention with the scoreline at 2-2, but the world number 47 raced away to upset the odds with a well-deserved 5-3 victory.
Having struggled to produce his best form last season, this latest result was another significant setback for the 2010 world champion.
Robertson has dropped to sixth in the world after failing to progress beyond the semi-finals in any ranking tournaments last season.
He exited the World Championship in Sheffield in the second round to round off one of the most disappointing seasons of his professional career.
His form was in stark contrast to the previous campaign when he won the Tour Championship and Players Championship.
Despite his recent downturn in fortunes, the leading online bookmakers still retain faith in Robertson’s ability to mix it with the best.
The 41-year-old is a best-priced 8/1 with the top betting apps in Australia – odds which may well tempt punters looking for a bit of value.
Robertson has been practising hard during the close season with Joe Perry, another player who failed to trouble the bookies last term.
Motivation has been an issue for Robertson, with his desire to spend time with his young family undoubtedly impacting his performances on the table.
Robertson recently admitted that his decision to wind back his schedule affected his form and he is eager to rectify matters this this time around.
“It’s been two different sorts of season,” he told the World Snooker Tour. “I had my best ever season and then in the one just gone I didn’t live up to the same standard.
“I didn’t get off to the greatest of starts. I chose not to play in a few events and had a longer break. I felt I was playing catch up throughout the season.
“This year I am trying to start much earlier and hopefully that can pay off and I’ll hit the ground running.”
With Ronnie O’Sullivan recently suggesting Robertson should have won more world titles, the Aussie star has plenty of incentive to battle back to the top.
The seven-time world champion knows better than most players about the dedication it takes to climb to the top in professional snooker.
Crashing out of the European Masters in the qualifying round is undoubtedly a major disappointment for someone who O’Sullivan rates as one of the finest players in the sport.
Robertson’s inability to grind out results has increasingly become an issue over the past year and he will need to dig deep to get back to his best.
With the World Championships still eight months away, Robertson has plenty of time to get his game back to where it needs to be.
“There’s a lot of hunger there,” Robertson added. “I didn’t get the success that I am used to last season. That only encourages me more to practise harder and get back to those winning ways.
“I look at that as an exciting challenge – not that I had a sub-standard season and get down on myself. I want to hit the ground running and have a good one.” While it would be a brave move to wager on Robertson being crowned world champion again, the bookies will not take any chances on a player who has the talent to achieve the feat.