I won £50,000 at Saudi Snooker Masters just months after interviewing for job as DELIVERY DRIVER after bills racked up

A SNOOKER star won £50,000 at the new Saudi Masters - just months after interviewing to become a DELIVERY DRIVER.

Jimmy Robertson, 38, started looking for a new job when the bills racked up and he was struggling to earn much cash due to a tremor "ruining his career".

But the 3am alarms were given the snooze with a new lucrative venture on the baize in China and now the Middle East, reaching the quarter-finals in Saudi before a thumping 6-0 defeat to Mark Williams.

World No38 Robertson told the : "I was having a stinking season. No income. Obviously I’ve got a missus, kids, a mortgage and everything to pay for. It’s tough. The bills don’t stop because I’m not winning matches.

"So I had two months and needed to earn some money. I came home from the German Masters and went for a job interview with DPD. It got that bad.

‘It was the last thing I wanted to be doing but I wasn’t earning any money at snooker.

"I went for the interview, the money seemed alright, but they were long days. I had to be at the warehouse at 5am, which would have meant getting up at 3am and I thought, that ain’t for me!

"The intention was there, but straight away I thought again because I still had to practise. I didn’t even tell him I was a snooker player.

"An opportunity came up to play at the Heyball Grand Finals in March.

"I was on some money for going, everything was covered and I won a few matches out there and ended up picking up quite a few quid.

"It was as much in a week as I would have earned with DPD in three months!

"I’m the only source of income at home so it’s a lot of pressure.

"There’s a lot of people in the same boat as me, I’m not crying with my story here, but it’s tough sometimes when you’re playing and feeling like you’ve got to win a game to pay the mortgage and the bills."

Robertson won his only ranking tournament so far at October 2018's European Masters then peaked at world No21 the following March.

He holds the record for the most points in a single frame after scoring an astonishing 178 when Lee Walker received 44 points in penalties at the 2021 Scottish Open.

But after a strong 2021-22 campaign, his career threatened to collapse when his shaking tremor completely took over and spiralled out of control.

Robertson added: "The best way I can explain it, when it’s at its worst, is like you’ve had a heavy night out and no sleep, you wake up and you’re all shaky, a bit achy.

"Or you’ve done a heavy weights session at the gym and your arms are gone. Playing snooker with shaky arms, wobbling all over, it’s horrible.

"I’ve just had no confidence while I’ve been really struggling with it. It’s torture going through it, all the emotions of going away from home, no confidence, losing, not earning any money.

"It’s not fun. I love playing in the tournaments, I still love what I do, but the emotions have been torture. I haven’t felt good for so long.

"I’ve had the shakes for years, maybe 15 years ago my arms used to shake and my head and neck used to shake.

"So I went to the doctors and they said it could be dystonia. It gradually went away but my arms never felt 100 per cent for many years.

"Over the last three or four years my arms have really got out of control. It’s got worse to the point where it’s ruining my snooker career.

"So I went to see a neurologist. It’s an essential tremor, I’ve been told it’s not going to get any better and you can’t get rid of it."

Now, though, Robertson has found a new confidence thanks to his recent wins over four-time world champ John Higgins and reigning Crucible king Kyren Wilson in Riyadh - plus a healthy boost to the bank balance.