'Like walking on a bouncy castle' – Neil Robertson reveals health battle after winning return at World Grand Prix

ByEurosport

Updated 15/12/2021 at 07:32 GMT

Neil Robertson enjoyed a 4-0 victory over Noppon Saengkham as he made a winning return to action at the World Grand Prix following his enforced absence from the Scottish Open due to health issues. The 2010 world champion has been put on a course of steroids to battle pulsatile tinnitus in his ears that causes balance issues and dizziness, forcing him to put his snooker career on hold.

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Neil Robertson has revealed he is relieved to return to the snooker table after health problems forced him to miss the Scottish Open last week.

The English Open champion made breaks of 54, 65 and 100 in a 4-0 victory over world number 39 Noppon Saengkham on Tuesday at the World Grand Prix as he set up a meeting with Anthony Hamilton in the last 16 on Wednesday night.

Robertson lost 6-2 to amateur John Astley in a shock defeat in the first round of the UK Championship last month and revealed he could not have continued his defence of the title due to a battle with pulsatile tinnitus in his ears which prompts dizziness and balance problems.

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“It has been a tough couple of weeks. I was building up for the defence of the UK Championship, then on the eve of it, this cropped up. Even if I had won my first match there, I would have had to withdraw," said Robertson.

For the next few days, I felt as if I was walking on a bouncy castle, my balance was all over the place. They put me on steroids for a week, and I had to pull out of the Scottish Open.

“I still have a little bit of ringing in the ears in the morning, but nowhere near as bad as it was. And the pulsing has stopped, with my heart racing a million beats a minute for no reason. Hopefully it stays the way it is now.

“For the past week, I have been able to practise. I tried to gradually extend my practice time, bit by bit during the week. I was a still a bit dizzy until the last five or six days when I was back to normal. I’m happy to be in this event because it’s a fantastic tournament to be involved in.”