Neil Robertson has a new approach for the Crucible this year
Neil Robertson has a new approach for the Crucible this year

Zhao Xintong deserves to be favourite for Crucible marathon, says rival Neil Robertson


Neil Robertson believes Zhao Xintong is "probably in the heads of a few players" and deserves to be favourite to win the World Championship as he aims to defend his Crucible crown.

Zhao brilliantly sealed a 'Players Series' treble when he added the Tour Championship title to his success at the World Grand Prix and Players Championship.

That ensured the 29-year-old leads the betting going into the annual Crucible marathon, a position Robertson believes is entirely justified.

"I think Xintong has to be the favourite," Robertson told Sporting Life.

"He's probably in the heads of a few players now. Players will go into matches against Xintong being not too sure how they're going to approach it.

"I think it's the way that he plays the game. He dominates frames and matches. He gets on top of his opponents.

"I've seen it against certain players over the years when I've been playing. I know they're going to be nervous wrecks when they've got frame ball, or if they have a chance to win.

"Xintong has got such a beautiful flow about him, the way he plays the game, and nothing seems to bother him very much.

"He's very very confident at the moment, so it's going to be interesting to see how people go about playing against him.

"It's a fascinating tournament this year. There really are a lot of individual stories, and there will be eyes on a lot of players. I think a lot of players have something to prove. But I think Xintong has to be the favourite."

'Fresh ideas' in bid to win second world title

Robertson is one of the truly outstanding talents of his generation, and the best overseas player of all time.

It feels surprising that he's only won one world title, back in 2010, and he hasn't even reached the semi-finals since 2014.

Robertson says he'll be going into the tournament, which starts on Saturday, with a new positive approach.

"I'm going to try and go into it with fresh ideas," Robertson said.

"I'm not going to lean on the side of waiting for things to happen, and will be going after it and making things happen this year.

"Nick Faldo talked to Jack Nicklaus once, and he said to Nicklaus that he doesn't know whether he's trying to make things happen or if he's waiting for things to happen.

"I think that's where you can get stuck at the World Championship. You can't just wait for a good draw, or wait for someone to not play well. You've got to make things happen for yourself."

Victory for Neil Robertson in York
Neil Robertson heads to the Crucible in optimistic mood

Robertson also said he has a new long-term plan in place for tackling the event, which he insists won't change for a number of years, even if he falls short again this time round.

The 44-year-old believes he needs to have more of an 'identity' – something he's seen in recent winners in Sheffield.

"My record was absolutely brilliant at the Crucible for six or seven years," Robertson said.

"Then, when I started going out earlier than I hoped, I tried to change something for the next year. Then I'd change something again the following year.

"I'd always be trying to tweak things. And there was probably nothing wrong in the first place. Before you know it, it's ten years or so since I've been in the semis.

"It can't be something where I go, well I've got a plan this year and if it doesn't work, I'll do something different next year.

"I think it's something you've got to commit to, a five-year plan. You've got to maybe suffer a couple of surprise defeats, but the pay-offs could be huge at the same time if it goes your way.

"You look at the recent winners at the Crucible, they've had a clear identity with how they're going to play. They play to their strengths, no matter what.

"You've got to be more decisive in how you approach an event, instead of going into a match thinking, ok how are we going to do this?

"We've come up with a really strong identity, a strong plan and that's exciting. It feels like I'm going there with an identity.

"You need a belief in what you're doing, you need to commit to something long term. I want to be a bit more in control.

"I feel like I have that identity now, that plan, and hopefully it's going to be successful."

'They need to sort that out'

The snooker world is still digesting the dramatic news that the Crucible will continue to host the World Championship until at least 2045, with the arena set to be revamped following the 2028 tournament.

The £45 million deal will ensure the tournament stays at the same venue where it has been staged since 1977.

Robertson has welcomed the news, saying: "It's not right that only 900-odd people can see the biggest event in the game.

"More fans will be able to get in there after they do the rebuild. It's great for snooker.

"Plus this new Crucible is going to allow better facilities for the players. It's brilliant news."

Robertson has complained before about a lack of room for players at the Crucible.

There haven't been any suggestions so far that the playing area will significantly be altered after the redesign.

Asked about that specifically, Robertson said: "They need to get that right. They need to really think about how they redesign that part because we do need a little bit more space for sure.

"There were a couple of shots that Chris Wakelin could not physically play last year because the advertising board was in the way of his cue.

"That can't be right. I think they need to sort things like that out."


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