Neil Robertson opens up on changing his name after snooker star received major honour

Neil Robertson is certainly one of snooker's most recognisable figures. His bleached blonde hair and Aussie twang have been commonplace on tour ever since he made his professional debut back in 1999.

The Thunder from Down Under is a three-time UK Championship winner and even tasted glory at the Crucible in 2010. He's been a consistent winner ever since, most recently triumphing at the World Grand Prix earlier this year.

It's no surprise that Robertson has been heralded back in his home country of Australia, with the snooker icon even receiving an award for his services to the sport. Robertson was given the illustrious Order of Australia award at the turn of the year and was permitted to change his name to include the initials OAM.

The 43-year-old has since opened up about what receiving the award meant to him, saying at the recent English Open: "Well to receive the award, you have to do something really special. What was quite surprising was, I think I must've been the youngest person receiving the award out of everyone there.

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"So that was really special, to receive it and be around so many people that have achieved special things in their lives... it was very inspiring to see. It has to rank right up there [among his best achievements] because for me to get this award, I have to achieve everything in my career first. Without all those achievements, I wouldn't be able to get it."

Robertson has been competing at the English Open, where he's looking to retain the crown he won in 2024. However, he sent a pointed message towards the authorities earlier in the tournament, when he called for more consistency surrounding the tour's scheduling.

He explained to BBC Essex: "It's great having all these tournaments, but I think the schedule could be structured a lot better. It seems strange to be bouncing from Shanghai to Saudi, back to the UK, back to China - when we were just there - and now back to the UK.

"The travel expenses are an awful lot, not to mention the constant adjustment to jet lag. It's very tolling on your body to constantly switch between these zones. It's a lot of bouncing around and your body can only take so much of that, and it's very tough."