Kyren Wilson has had some words of advice from former world champions on dealing with life as the Crucible king, being told that his ‘game is naturally going to suffer.’
The Warrior won the World Championship title in May for the first time, downing surprise finalist Jak Jones in the final in Sheffield.
It has been a good start to life as the world champ as Wilson won the Xi’an Grand Prix in August, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump on his way to the title.
There are plenty more challenges to come, though, and former Crucible champions Peter Ebdon and Stuart Bingham have had some helpful words for the 32-year-old.
‘I’ve had in particular two,’ Wilson told Metro on advice from former world champs. ‘Stuart Bingham and Peter Ebdon, who are good friends of mine.
‘Peter said that at some point you have to say no to a few things, be a bit selfish and put your snooker first.
‘Stuart said your game is naturally going to suffer a bit because of the demand and you just can’t commit to everything as much as you’d like to and you have to accept that.
‘That’s why it’s so pleasing I’ve won early because it takes away a lot of the pressure. Then things die down a bit, it’s not as hectic now as it was straight after winning. I enjoyed that though, you’ve got a duty to be a good ambassador and role model as world champion and I’m trying my best to do that.’
Wilson’s return to Sheffield is still months away, but he says his defence of the World Championship and an attempt to break the Crucible Curse is already on his mind. In fact, he was thinking about it before he even reached this year’s final.
‘I’m already thinking about it, I was already thinking about it in the semi-finals of the World Championship, to be honest,’ he said. ‘That’s just how positive I try to be.
‘I feel like I’ve done it so many years now and had such a good, consistent record that I know how to deal with every scenario there. I’ve had mental matches that have gone my way and that haven’t gone my way. I’ve had things going on off the table, behind closed doors, so I feel I can manage any situation that comes up.
‘I’ll tackle it with all I have and I feel like I’ve got a good chance of doing it.’
Wilson won the greatest prize in the spot in Sheffield, but his triumph in Xi’an further cemented his place among snooker’s elite.
It may be a brand new event on the calendar, but beating O’Sullivan and Trump on his way to the £177,000 top prize meant a huge amount to the world champ.
‘100 per cent, I felt exactly like that,’ Wilson said when asked if the Xi’an win really showed where he stands. ‘Beating probably the best two players in the world over recent years, Ronnie and Judd, and not just beating them I played well in beating them both. Really pleased with that.
‘In hindsight, I went on holiday to Dubai with the family and took my foot off the gas after that before Saudi. I got on the pina coladas instead of the practice table and maybe I shouldn’t have. But it felt amazing, I was really pleased with that.’
Wilson looks to add another title to his collection next week at the Northern Ireland Open where he takes on David Grace in his opening contest on Tuesday.
‘I just want to win more titles now,’ he said. ‘You get a real hunger for it.’
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