Neil Robertson

Neil Robertson is an Australian snooker player who was both the former World Champion and world number one.

Robertson began playing professional snooker in 1998 but left the tour and returned in 2003. In 2006 he became the first Australian to win the Grand Prix and as his talent continued to grow, he reached the semi-finals of the World Championships in 2009. The following year we won the World Championship and in 2012, he won his first Masters title followed by the UK Championship in 2013, and again in 2015. His tournament wins make Neil Robertson the only non-UK player to have completed the Triple Crown – winning the World Championship in 2010, the Masters in 2012 and 2022, and the UK Championship in 2013, 2015 and 2020.

Why Neil Robertson is vegan

Neil Robertson is vegan for health.

Neil Robertson became vegan in 2014 to improve his performance and give himself an edge over the other players, due to the advice of fellow snooker player Peter Ebdon He told the BBC, “I used to feel very tired during tournaments. I was drinking four or five coffees per day and felt I needed more. Now I’m able to practice an awful lot more without getting tired.”¹Pierce, J. 2015. World Snooker Championship: Neil Robertson talks up vegan diet. BBC. Available: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/32421212 [Accessed 20 October 2026].

However, despite being a dietary vegan, Neil Robertson still wears an old pair of leather snooker shoes as he hasn’t been able to find a vegan version of the specialist footwear, that are part of the strict snooker dress code. In 2020, he said: “Everything I wear is 99 per cent vegan apart from my snooker shoes which I’ve had for 8 years as it’s been almost impossible to find a pair suitable for snooker. I’ve tried a few pairs and no luck so far. Don’t wear leather or wool otherwise even my Beanie haha.”²Neil Robertson. 2020. X post. Available: https://x.com/nr147/status/1274366831260766208 [Accessed 20 October 2026].

“It certainly makes me feel like a better person for the change and knowing we can get everything we need on a plant based diet […] I felt I needed to eat healthier to give myself the chance to get the most out of my career.”³Great Vegan Athletes. 2026. Neil Robertson. Available: https://www.greatveganathletes.com/neil-robertson-vegan-snooker-player/ [Accessed 20 October 2026].