ROBERTSON: I’LL TAKE ICY DIP FOR TITLE
NEIL ROBERTSON has pledged to dive into the freezing Ally Pally lake if he wins this week’s Masters.
The Aussie ace is bidding to end a decade of Masters’ hurt by lifting the famous trophy on Sunday.
And the former world champion has vowed to take the plunge if he handles the heat at the iconic London venue.
Robertson took part in a Scandinavian tradition over Christmas as he sat in a scorching sauna before jumping into the snow.
He said: “In Norway and Oslo there are these little sauna huts from where they come out and do this crazy stuff.
“And my wife Mille told me that I had to do it at least once.
“It sounds a bit weird, lying in a sauna for half an hour absolutely roasting then jumping into either iced water or actual snow.
“I bottled it a couple of times until my wife and son did it, then I agreed to do a snow angel in my swimming shorts.
“So I went from roasting to lying down in the snow. It doesn’t hit you straight away, and you think ‘this is okay’.
“Then it hits you, the most shocking experience ever. I screamed and ran back into the sauna and have never been so relieved in my life.
“I vowed then never to do that again in my life – but if I won this then I would maybe do something silly like jump in that ice-cold Alexandra Palace lake.
“So I’ll tell you what – if I win the Masters this year, then I’ll give it a crack in the same shorts I was using in Norway.”
Robertson would join a long list of sports stars who have jumped into ice-cold water to cool off after red-hot career highs.
It’s the 30th anniversary of Jim Courier diving in the Yarra River at Robertson’s home Australian Open. Fellow tennis star Angelique Kerber did it in 2016.
Golfer Pail McGinley did it after sinking the winning put in the 2002 Ryder Cup at the Belfry.
Jockey Oisin Murphy jumped in the Thames in July after winning flat racing’s Champion Jockey.
But it left golfer Thomas Levet with a sinking feeling as he missed the 2011 Open after fracturing his shin jumping into a lake after French Open joy.
Robertson’s semi-final opponent Mark Williams kept his promise to do his winner’s press conference naked at the 2018 World Championship.
Golden oldie Williams, 46, is just proud to still be scrapping with the sport’s top players
He said: “It’s incredible. Lots of other sportsmen start to decline and I’m still scrapping my way.”
Meanwhile, former world No.1 Judd Trump battered rival Kyren Wilson 6-1 to move a step closer to the Masters crown.
The Bristolian had breaks of 76, 74, 68, 67 and 50 to set-up a mouthwatering semi-final with Barry Hawkins, who dumped Mark Selby last night in a 6-1 victory.