‘I love Sheffield’- Snooker champion Zhao Xintong shares thoughts on Crucible and pressure of title defence
Zhao Xintong is aiming to overcome the Crucible Curse at this year’s Snooker World Championship in Sheffield
Zhao Xintong has described Sheffield as somewhere which feels like a second home to him.
The Chinese snooker star says he was also very happy when he found out that the Steel City would be remaining the home of snooker for at least the next 20 years.
Speaking to Midnite, the UK betting & Casino partner at the World Championship, he said:”I’ve been here nine years, 10 years. So this is my second hometown. I love Sheffield.
“When I go back to China, one month, two months, I really miss Sheffield. I just want to come back. I miss my friends and snooker practice, I really miss that.”
“Yes. I’m really happy that the World Championship can stay at the Crucible. It’s a big moment for snooker players. I know the Crucible has history so I’m really happy for that. I want the World Championship to stay in Sheffield,” he added.
Xintong, who is the bookmakers' favourite to win the World Championship this year, put China on the map last year by becoming the sport's first World Champion from Asia.
The 29-year-old overcame three-time winner Mark Williams in last year’s final and also recorded notable victories along the way, including a 13-5 win over Chris Wakelin and a 17-7 victory over modern day great Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O'Sullivan in the semi-final.
Xintong displayed great confidence and composure to secure last year’s Crucible triumph, but admits he’s feeling more pressure as defending champion.
“Now I have a little bit of pressure I’m feeling. Before one week, one month ago, everything was ok, it didn’t matter - but now I’ve got pressure. I’m just trying to control myself and trying to enjoy the table.”
Xintong, who is nicknamed ‘The Cyclone’, took his first positive step towards defending his world title by defeating England's Liam Highfield on the opening day of the tournament.
However, he still has a long way to go if he’s to break the long-running Crucible curse which refers to the fact that no first-time champion has been able to retain the World Snooker Championship title since the tournament moved to the iconic Sheffield venue in 1977.
When asked about the Crucible curse, Xintong admitted that it was something he actually wasn’t aware of beforehand. He said: “I wasn’t aware of that. But everybody talks about the curse. But I’m not thinking about that.”
Xintong's next opponent in the last 16 will be either Ding Junhui or David Gilbert depending who comes out on top in that particular showdown.