Neil Robertson forced to pull out of Northern Ireland Open after being left bedridden

Neil Robertson has been forced to withdraw from the Northern Ireland Open after a health scare

Former snooker world champion Neil Robertson has opened up about a severe health scare that left him bedridden after he contracted a brutal respiratory virus in China. Robertson, who won the 2010 championship at the Crucible, had been competing at the Xi’an Grand Prix, where he triumphed over Ishpreet Chadha in his first match but was later defeated by He Guoqiang.

The tournament itself was won by Mark Williams, as he made history by becoming the oldest ranking title winner in snooker with a hard-earned victory over Shaun Murphy in the final. Attention now turns to the Northern Ireland Open, which begins on Sunday but Robertson will not be a part of.

Upon returning home from China, the Australian’s condition worsened to such an extent that he was forced to pull out of the Belfast competition. In a heartfelt social media post, Roberson assured his fans that he was on the path to recovery after enduring ‘one of the worst experiences’ of his life.

“Hey guys, after coming back from China I picked up a brutal respiratory virus in Xi’an that didn’t hit me until Sunday,” Robertson shared.

“It made breathing anything above 40 per cent a challenge and bed ridden for almost six days. I’ve never experienced anything like it and can quite honestly say it was one of the worst experiences I’ve gone through”, reports the Express.

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“I’m on the mend now but still quite a way to go, and for this reason I had no choice but to withdraw from Northern Ireland. It’s the only home nation event I haven’t won so it was high on my agenda this season. It’s a shame to miss it but sadly had no choice.”

Robertson is widely considered one of snooker’s most iconic personalities as well as ranking amongst the finest talents of his era. He will be eager to make a swift recovery as he aims to return to competitive action in the forthcoming weeks.

The Melbourne native, who also triumphed at the World Grand Prix earlier this year, has recently adopted a new name following a prestigious accolade in his homeland. He received the distinguished Order of Australia honour at the start of the year and was authorised to add the letters OAM after his complete name.

“To receive the award, you have to do something really special,” he said. “What was quite surprising was, I think I must’ve been the youngest person receiving the award out of everyone there.

“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.”