Neil Robertson can make 'clueless' snooker rival eat his own words after brutal comments

Neil Robertson has branded snooker rival Judd Trump as "clueless" for comments he made about his world number one prospects.

Robertson is one of the greatest players to ever pick up a cue, with only six players winning more than the 26 ranking titles he's collected across his career.

The Thunder from Down Under is currently fourth in the world rankings, and a strong end to the 2026/27 season could see the 44-year-old return to the pinnacle for the first time in 15 years.

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Neil Robertson fires back at Judd Trump over brutal comments

Australia's greatest ever player is only £13,850 behind 2019 world champion Judd Trump, who occupies third spot in the WST rankings, and a further £165,350 behind world number one Zhao Xintong.

But the Englishman doesn't believe that Robertson should be keeping elite company in the rankings, claiming that his Saudi Arabia Masters win last season – and the £500,000 that came with it – was doing too much heavy lifting for him.

"I think Neil, for example, I don’t really know what he’s done to be so close, apart from winning Saudi, he hasn’t really done anything else," Trump said in September.

"It’s hard to pick individual players out, nothing against Neil, but he’s not been consistent enough to be the number one, in my eyes."

Trump made an unfair assessment based on Robertson's performances at the big tournaments, having won the World Grand Prix last year and the English Open in 2024.

In addition, the Australian has reached the semi-finals of the UK Championship and Tour Championship, two performances that have boosted his ranking, and he's already had a word with his rival over those comments.

"I spoke to Judd and said, “What are you doing?” He was just like, “Oh God, that just came out all wrong," Robertson said in an interview with Metro.

"Before winning Saudi I was still ranked eight. It’s not like I just won Saudi. You only have to look at the actual points, take Saudi off, and I’m still really high up anyway.

"When I won Saudi, that was my third ranking event win in the space of 10-11 months, and since Saudi, it’s been littered with quarters and semi-finals."

Robertson has lost interest in what anyone on social media or what his rivals say about him, for that matter, calling out people's "clueless" opinions of him.

"You see some of the comments and people have got no idea," he continued. "It’s actually a big relief to see that because it’s other sports where this exists too, where you just get completely clueless opinions from people that have absolutely no idea."

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Neil Robertson can make Judd Trump eat his own words

It was in 2010 when Robertson first became number one after winning the World Snooker Championship, accumulating 69 weeks at the top of the professional rankings.

Still the only non-UK player to complete snooker's Triple Crown, the Melbourne-born cueist dreams of adding another major title to his trophy cabinet, and he can do so in the coming months.

The next Triple Crown event is the UK Championship in York at the end of November, and Robertson will be competing for the top prize of £312,500, with the runner-up taking home £125,000.

A deep run at that tournament and The Masters in January can further strengthen his position in the rankings, while potentially leapfrogging Trump, depending on his performance.

Trump's comments about him not being "consistent enough" will have certainly added more fire in his belly to move ahead of his rival and challenge for the number one spot.