Snooker player Jimmy Robertson has admitted he “bottled” the chance to take a picture with Novak Djokovic while travelling to the Shenzhen Open. The English player reached the semi-final of the tournament, where he lost 6-5 to China’s Yuan Sijun.
Around the same time, Djokovic was competing in the China Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion won that event after Alex De Minaur retired with an injury during the final. Djokovic had also advanced to the final after Daniil Medvedev retired with an injury in the second set. On both occasions, Djokovic was one set up.
Airport encounter
Robertson and Djokovic crossed paths as they made their way to their respective tournaments. Speaking via TNT Sports, Robertson described the moment he saw the tennis star at passport control in Beijing.
“I stopped off at Beijing to go through passport control and Novak Djokovic was right in front of me in the queue,” he said. “I got nervous and bottled asking him for a photo. He was right in front of me. It was crazy. An all-time great.”
After passing through passport control, both players took a shuttle to the terminal. Robertson said he intended to catch up with Djokovic after he got off the shuttle, but again failed to ask for a photo.
“He was at the front of the shuttle, got off and I thought: 'Right, I'll catch up with him'. I did but I still didn't ask him! I bottled it again. I'll never get that opportunity again.”
Semi-final disappointment
Robertson also reflected on his semi-final defeat, in which he was one frame away from reaching the final. He described it as one of the worst feelings he has had as a professional.
“I've played on the tour for 20 odd years. It was a massive game in a big tournament, and it really hurt,” he said. “There were so many positives, and they felt as if they'd been undone when I got home. The way the decider was, I felt like I had a foot in the final.”
He added that after a couple of days at home, he was beginning to take positives from the performance. “I felt near the middle of the match, and the end, I was good. I wasn't struggling to get over the line or anything, it just didn't happen.”
Robertson said he felt “a little hard done by” but accepted the result. He hopes the run will be enough to keep him on tour for another year, noting that the thought had not been in his head at the start of the season but had started to creep in. “At least I can take that and play now for the rest of the year.”
