World number 28 Jimmy Robertson has revealed he’s been battling with an Essential Tremor over recent years, but despite this disadvantage, he is determined to learn to cope with it and press on with his career on the World Snooker Tour.
Robertson was diagnosed with the condition in the closing stages of last season, but has been dealing with the symptoms for nearly five years. It is a condition which fluctuates in terms of its severity and the Englishman believes that he is learning to find ways to keep calm and minimise its impact.
He went on a good run at the recent BetVictor European Masters, an event he won his only ranking title so far at in 2018. Robertson’s week included wins over Mark Williams and Scott Donaldson, two players he had never previously beaten. Despite his frustration at being denied a quarter-final slot with a 5-4 loss against Noppon Saengkham, Robertson is keen to look at the positives.
We’ve caught up with the 37-year-old, who told us more about his health battles and how he feels about his game…
Jimmy, first of all tell us more about the tremor you’ve been dealing with in recent years.
“I’ve only told a few of the snooker players that I am closest to, but I’ve been dealing with this Essential Tremor for a long while now. I went to see two specialists last season before the World Championship and they diagnosed it. There isn’t really a cure for it. It isn’t going to get any better, but I’ve dealt with it. For years I’ve been playing with this and not knowing what it was. Now I’ve seen the specialist I’ve got my head around what the situation is. I either play or I give up. I’m going to play.
“Some days are worse than others. It is not knowing how my tremor day will be. When you make yourself anxious, excited or nervous it is 100 times worse. I’ve had times over the last four or five years where some days it is unbearable because my arms are just going mad. I can control it a lot better now. I think confidence calms it down a lot. As soon as I’m nervous it triggers it off. I need to be as calm as possible.”
Why have you decided now is the time to speak about this and how proud are you of what you’ve achieved despite it?
“I’ve never spoken about it in any interview. I haven’t wanted all of the players to know about it to be honest with you. I just felt now that it was time to speak about it and get it off my back. Holding it in all of the time with nobody knowing what is going on can be difficult. It isn’t something that is going to escalate into something more serious, but it is unfortunate that I’m a snooker player and I need my arms to be pretty still.
“I am proud because the majority of the tour haven’t got a clue about this. To know that I’ve been fighting it and getting on without making a fuss and telling everyone about it all of the time. It has been a massive handicap for me. The more results I can get the more it calms me down and I can deal with it better. I won a match a couple of years ago to stay on tour and that was massive for me. It is natural to be a bit shaky anyway in that sort of situation, but knowing what I have been dealing with made it even harder.”
You’ve worked a lot on the mental side of your game over the past few years. How much has that helped you?
“Well I’ve been on the tour for quite a few years now and I’ve played a lot of big games at big venues. Working on the mental side can only help, but experience is the main thing. You just have to learn to deal with your emotions and not allow too many negative thoughts. That is what I’ve done in the past. I’ve made myself nervous by thinking too much about things. You just need to get out there and play. We practice five to seven days a week and work very hard specifically for when big games come along. In the past I’ve frozen while thinking about cameras, lights and what people are thinking. I don’t think like that anymore. I’ve got a lot of experience. That doesn’t buy wins but it gives you a better chance of winning.”
How do you reflect on your run at the European Masters and do those wins over Scott Donaldson and Mark Williams give you confidence moving forward?
“It was massive beating Scott Donaldson, as I had lost against him every time I’d played him before that. I knew I’d never beaten him. That was a monkey off my back and then I faced another player I’d never beaten before in Mark Williams. I’ve played Mark twice at the Crucible and he has been a real nemesis for me. He is class and is still one of the top players in the world. He is very hard to beat. Now I’ve beaten him I’m not saying I’m going to win every time I draw him but it is out of my head now. I hope I can use those results to press on now. Those were two positives to take from it, but the end was big disappointment. I threw away the decider against Noppon Saengkham and had chances to win.”
