WILL NEIL WIN A 2nd WORLD TITLE?

Who's the best player in the world right now? Well, Neil Robertson has for sure made a case for himself this season. And actually, Neil has been in this position many times during the last decade.

Since the 2012, the Australian has won FIVE Triple Crown events (only Ronnie O'Sullivan [9] and Mark Selby [7] have won more within that span). Winner of the Masters in January, Robertson took took a third title of the season at the Players Championship last week. Scoring heavy but also an all-around strong player, he feels like the player to beat once again.

But if he's been so good, why haven't we seen him in another World Championship final since his 2010 triumph? He has indeed become a better player, but at the Crucible he only managed to get to the one-table set-up again once since his title - that was in 2014, eight years ago, when he lost to Selby in the semifinal.

No one could say the problem is in his game. I would say the problem is on his approach. Last year, after another disappointing Crucible run, he spoke out about how he dislikes the event. He claimed the place is "too tight", and admitted he would "never tune in to watch" the long matches because they are "boring".

Most recently, after winning a second Masters title (his sixth Triple Crown win), the 2010 World Champion said: "I'm disappointed every year [at] the World Championship, [...] the crowd is really quiet, they don’t cheer. It just doesn’t feel like the World Championship anymore. I think for me, and probably a few other players, we probably prefer playing in this than for the world title."

I know that most disagree with that statement (myself included), but it's not a matter of whether he's right or wrong, It's about him having to "embrace" that Crucible experience.

The Theatre is the same for everyone, it's not like the place got any smaller since he won it, or like snooker fans were loud as football fans before he won it and then got silent. The path for the world title hasn't changed, and it's a walk he has walked before.

Of course, being the regular contender he is now is very different to being the pretender he was when he won it all those years ago. But he must stop blaming the event if he wants to become a multiple world champion. The difference between one and two titles at the Crucible is so huge that only the very best have managed a second win - actually only six, and all of those six have went on to win it for at least a third time. Will Robertson join that elite group before the end of his career? He just turned 40 and has to change that attitude, but you can't bet against him if you've seen him play this season.

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