Neil Robertson interview: Mastering Alexandra Palace crowd key to winning a third Masters crown

The top 16 players in the world travel to the iconic London venue this week, chasing snooker’s second biggest prize.

But while the World Championship, set in the relatively serene setting of the Crucible theatre in Sheffield, is the ultimate test over 17 days, the Masters is unashamedly brash.

And mastering those conditions – like reading a Bronte novel in a nightclub – makes the Ally Pally a different beast to every other tournament on the snooker calendar.

Robertson has twice won the Masters since it moved to the Alexandra Palace in 2012.

The Australian beat Barry Hawkins 10-4 in London 12 months ago, defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams on his way to the title.

“It was the loudest crowd I have ever heard at a snooker tournament,” said Robertson, who beat Mark Selby in the 2013 final.

“All of the matches were really well supported from start to finish. My matches with Ronnie in the quarters and Williams in the semis stood out for the atmosphere. It was an amazing experience.

“I love it, but only the strongest of minds can deal with that kind of pressure. Not many people realise how different the game is or the extra pressure that there is playing in front of that sort of crowd.

"It isn’t easy at all.

“I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to play in these atmospheres and do well.

“It is definitely the most intense event. Nobody will have experienced anything like it before when they make their debut.

“Last year John Higgins and Mark Williams came out to a standing ovation before their decider. It was the same when I played Mark in the semi-finals. They roared both players on.

“I’m sure it will be incredible to walk out as defending champion. That is what it is all about. This is a different kind of tournament and the crowd is what makes that.

“They cheer for everyone and want good snooker. One person could be cheering for you in the first few frames and all of a sudden he switches to the other guy. That makes it really cool. I am hugely excited for the tournament to get underway.”

While Robertson won the Masters with a comfortable 10-4 over Hawkins, for many the match of the tournament was his amazing comeback victory against Welshman Mark Williams.

Trailing 4-1 in the semi-finals, Robertson won the last three frames – including the final frame where he conjured up two snookers – to complete a stunning victory.

“I looked dead and buried against Mark Williams in the semi-finals,” he recalled. “He had two flukes to win two frames and go 5-3 up.

“He had another fluke in the decider and left me needing two snookers. It had seemed he was going to win off three flukes.

“Somehow, I managed to turn it around. You always look back on tournaments won by the greats and they have come through matches that looked impossible to win.

“Growing up, I always thought it would be nice to win a big tournament from that sort of position. I’m glad I have done that as it is an unbelievable feeling.

“It was a great moment when my family came out at the end last year. There is a brilliant picture of my daughter Penelope running to me and I picked her up. It reminded me of when I won the first time and (my son) Alexander ran over. It is nice to share my wins with my family now.

“You never know when your last big win is going to be, at any stage. It is very important to strike a balance.

“When you win things, you have to enjoy the moment and you also have to be smart enough to then have a mental reset.

“You need to go again and I managed to do that really well last season after winning the Masters. I went on to win the Players Championship and the Tour Championship.

“You can only do that if you don’t get too excited. It is sad to say that because a lot of people would like to be on party mode for a month after something like that. I can’t do that, because I want to win more.”

Robertson opens his defence tomorrow afternoon against Shaun Murphy, before Selby faces Iran’s Hossein Vafaei on Sunday evening.

Vafaei replace Zhao Xintong, who has been suspended – along with a number of Chinese players – due to an ongoing investigation into alleged match-fixing.

Zhao, who beat Luca Brecel to win the 2021 UK Championship title, was suspended on Tuesday, taking the number of Chinese players currently barred from the tour to 10.