World Snooker Championship 2023: Why Neal Foulds is already tipping Neil Robertson for Crucible glory

Eurosport expert Neal Foulds is already tipping Neil Robertson to win this year’s World Snooker Championship.

Robertson has been one of the sport’s top players for over a decade but has only won one title at the Crucible which came in 2010, having reached the one-table setup just once since then.

In recent years, Robertson has gone into the World Championship as one of the favourites due to his strong form in the build-up.

However, his current campaign has not lived up to his high standards, having not reached the final of any event, which may favour him come the Crucible in April according to Foulds.

“This is the year he wins it [the World Championship] for me because of that [his season so far],” Foulds said in the Eurosport studio.

“Every year we go, ‘yeah he’s playing well, he’s going to win the worlds’. If he has a bad run and doesn’t get into the last few tournaments, this will be his year to win it for a second time.”

Jimmy White added: “He’s one of the best. You can’t write him off.

“If he doesn’t win this tournament [the Welsh Open], he would settle for winning the World Championship.

“Normally at this stage of the season he’s won one or got to a final and he’s not done that.”

As it stands, Robertson won’t be defending his Players Championship crown next week as he is 18th in the one-year ranking list and only the top 16 can compete in the tournament.

The Australian will likely need to reach the quarter-finals of this week’s Welsh Open to book a place in Wolverhampton.

Foulds says Robertson is a “great player” but was bewildered about why he didn’t play the British Open earlier in the season when he competed in the Mixed Doubles invitational event the day before in Milton Keynes.

“It didn’t help he’s been ill, it didn’t help he didn’t play in the British Open,” added the former world No. 3.

“Why didn’t he play in that? He played in the mixed doubles there [at the Marshall Arena] and the next day he’s not playing in same tournament all the rest are in.

“He’s never explained why he didn’t play in it. Now he’s got a problem getting into the Players Championship. It’s his own fault, nobody else, that’s one way of getting into it.”

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