Robert Milkins can finally afford himself a slightly more luxurious experience in Sheffield as he prepares for his ninth World Championship at the end of a life-changing season.
The Milkman has never been a seed for the sport’s most prestigious tournament since turning professional way back in 1995 and is making just his first appearance here since 2018.
The Gloucester cueman’s rise up the rankings can be traced back to March 2022 when he ended his wait for a maiden ranking title at the Gibraltar Open despite a backdrop of poor form, worrying money struggles and his infamous drunken incident in Turkey several weeks earlier that later saw him fined £7,000.
It gave the 47-year-old, who admits self-belief has prevented him fulfilling his rich potential and talent throughout his career, the confidence boost he needed to launch his revival and in March this year he pocketed a whopping £230,000 for winning the Welsh Open (£130k) and the European Series bonus prize that came with it.
At the time he said the windfall would change his life and although he hasn’t yet got stuck into spending it, he has promised to find a more expensive hotel than usual during his Crucible campaign.
He said: “This time last year I won the Gibraltar Open and that really was the turning point for me in my recent snooker career. If I hadn’t of won that I’d have headed into this season with a lot of pressure to hold onto my place on the tour. I’m too good to be in that position but nobody has a right to stay on it.
“It was such a big thing to win a first ranking event and it was really difficult to do. After that, everything starts to become a bit easier due to finances, higher ranking and self-belief – even though the money wasn’t exactly massive.
“There was obviously a lot of extra pressure on the Welsh Open final because I was playing for the £150,000 bonus and I didn’t know what to expect. The Gibraltar experience helped a bit but this was a whole new situation.
“The difference between winning and losing was about £260,000 so I was delighted with how I handled playing that situation.
“I haven’t really done anything with the money yet because I’m waiting for the season to finish and focusing on my snooker.
“But obviously I don’t have to come here and and worry about the difference between £45 and £60 on the price of a hotel – I may go up to £100!
“I have no pressure on me now. Even if I lose the opening round I’ve still had the best season ever.”
Milkins enjoyed the experience of the pre-tournament media day when he got to share the same limelight with many legends of the game.
Although the Milkins jokingly bemoaned having to answer the ‘same old questions’, he did feel like he’d finally arrived.
He said: “I’m very excited to be here at the Crucible – and come to events like the media day as a seed for the first time. Although I’m around them a lot of the time on tour, this time I feel like a proper player.
“I do feel like I’m a young man with a new lease of life on the table and I really needed it. I’ve always had a high level of standard from an early age but self-belief held me back. Other people had a similar high level but they adapted to the pressures of the pro game quicker than me.
“It’s obviously good for older players like me that there aren’t a lot of youngsters breaking through from Britain but we do need them for the sake of the sport.”
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