Even now, as autumnal tints begin to envelop the British landscape, Neil Robertson can look back on the marvellous May he enjoyed when all his dreams came true at once. Within the space of a few days, he beat Graeme Dott in the final of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and subsequently became a father with the birth of his son, Alexander.

“It was great, very hectic obviously, but for all the right reasons,” says the genial Australian, who will arrive in Scotland on Friday to participate in the inaugural World Open at the Glasgow SECC.

“When I went back home, I suddenly found myself doing a whole lot of media work, which was strange, because, compared to outdoor sports, snooker is very much a minority game. But it is growing more and more popular and, hopefully, a little part of that is down to my success.”

Unlike some of his rivals – such as Ronnie O’Sullivan who occasionally comes across as a ticking timebomb of insanity – Robertson is mellow to the core and blessed with a dry-as-Nevada sense of humour. He adores Seinfeld and although his cool reputation might be tarnished by his taste in music and films (Metallica and The Shawshank Redemption), one suspects that he doesn’t take himself or snooker too seriously.

That isn’t to ignore his dedication on the practice table, or his determination to pursue further honours on the green baize, but simply to observe that Robertson has a hinterland and seems wholly content in the knowledge that there is life beyond snooker. When we discussed his ambitions, for instance, the 28 year-old eschewed clichés or words such as “disaster” and “tragedy” and told STV that he wants to do his best and see where it leads him.

“The biggest thing is to find consistency and I guess I have struggled a little in that respect in the past,” said Robertson. “[Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal are always there in the semi-final and the final of major tennis tournaments and that is how you get to the top of the rankings. You can’t afford to lose opening-round matches and that’s what has happened a lot this year, which has cost me plenty of ranking points.

“I don’t know how much we’ll be able to read into this new event in Glasgow. The games are the best of five frames, which means it is pretty much a shoot-out and you can’t really prepare for this format, except try to hit the ground running.

“I’m sure that it will be good for the middle and lower-ranked players, because some of the higher-ranked guys will be knocking one another out in the early stages, and that will make the competition unpredictable and increase the prospect of shock results.

“It’s definitely an encouraging development that there are more tournaments on the schedules than was the case 12 months ago, but we’ll just have to work out how to get ready for the different events. I honestly think snooker is poised for a big resurgence, and that Barry [Hearn] has shaken things up in a positive fashion. But it will take time for us to get the hang of it all.”

As Robertson explained, the difference in preparing for a best-of-five-frame, as opposed to a best-of-35-frame encounter is similar to a cricketer striving to master the contrasting demands of Twenty20 and Test matches. The quick-fire version might not suit the purist, and may even lead to tedious tactical exchanges between players who are frightened to be overly aggressive, given how little scope they have for clawing back a deficit.

But this new tournament has been specifically designed as the “FA Cup of snooker” and while Robertson understandably feels that he should not have been drawn against an opponent of Graeme Dott’s calibre in Saturday’s opening round, this re-run of their Sheffield tussle does offer spectators the potential to be a cracking contest, albeit one in miniature.

“Graeme is a terrific player, he showed enormous dedication to become world champion [in 2006], and he is one of the toughest guys to beat on the circuit,” said Robertson. “He had a little bit of a lean spell last season, what with breaking his wrist and suffering some family problems, but these things happen to us the same as they do to everybody else.

“We all have good times and bad times, but Graeme has bounced back and I am expecting a very hard match. Mind you, at least it won’t go on until 1am in the morning again.”

One suspects that Robertson’s competitive juices are best served by the longer versions of the game. As an aficionado of tennis, cricket and Aussie Rules, one of his major regrets is the fact that he has to leave his homeland, for months on end, to earn a living as a professional sports star.

But there again, despite his laidback exterior, he is chiselled in the grand Australian tradition of never surrendering, never willingly accepting defeat, even down to being a dead ringer for the baggy-green cricketer, Shane Watson. In short, though the World Open might be the first step into snooker’s fragile new dawn, it would be unwise to bet against Robertson when he confronts his Glasgow audience.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m based down in Cambridge a lot these days, but I know that the Scots love their snooker and the amount of leading players and world champions they have produced over the last 20 years speaks for itself,” said the man, who is somewhat incongruously nicknamed the Melbourne Machine.

He is honest enough to admit that his friends can always rely on him to turn up two hours late, but this fellow doesn’t miss a beat whenever he is in the thick of battle.