Steve Davis believes Neil Robertson is ready to become Australia's first world snooker champion of the modern era.
Australian Horace Lindrum won the world title in 1952 when, amid a dispute between governing bodies, the top stars competed in a World Matchplay event.
But 27-year-old Robertson would have to beat the biggest names in the game to achieve the feat at the Betfred.com World Championship this year.
The World Championship became a knock-out tournament in 1969, and Australians Warren Simpson and Eddie Charlton reached finals in the 1970s.
They were the most recent of their countrymen to do so, but Robertson - who crushed Davis 10-2 in the first round yesterday - might be the man to end Australia's long wait.
Six-time champion Davis said: ‘If he improves as the tournament goes on, he can win it.
‘He's one of the players who can win it.
‘He's got a fantastically strong cue action that can probably withstand a bit of pressure as well, and he looks in good nick, but the trouble is that so do a lot of players.’
Davis claims Robertson, who must face last year's runner-up Ali Carter in the second round, has a suitably positive approach.
‘I certainly know you can't win it playing a defensive game,’ Davis said.
Davis has ruled out retirement, with the 51-year-old saying: ‘I don't think I've got the enthusiasm I used to have, but I still enjoy it enough that I don't see why I should stop for other people's benefit.
‘I think it's quite funny when people say, 'Why can't you produce what you used to produce?'.
‘Obviously they're in a time warp remembering that not only was I in my twenties, I was probably playing against generally lesser competition.
‘You go up the rankings and you go down the rankings. The challenge is how long it takes. I'm in the top 32 and there's plenty of players who are not.’
The respect between Robertson and his opponent, meanwhile, is shared, with the Cambridgeshire-based player urging Davis to keep playing.
‘I think he still really loves competing,’ Robertson said.
‘There are other players who, if they fell out of the top 16, would probably retire.
‘But he seems to enjoy the 'underdog' tag.
‘The important thing is his technique is still really good to look at, and he looks after himself, and there are some players that probably don't do that, which is why when they hit their mid-thirties they tend to drop down the rankings.’
