Kyren Wilson comes into this year’s Cazoo World Championship feeling calm and confident as he looks to fulfil his biggest ambition by winning the title.
By Tomos Wyn Jones
It has been a difficult time off the table for Wilson, with son Bailey suffering from a serious illness, but his condition is described as “manageable” and in recent weeks the world number seven has been able to focus on his career on the table.
“I was driving up to Sheffield and I was telling my brother that it feels a bit different this year,” said the Warrior. “I feel a bit tense coming into this event every year, but this year I’m totally relaxed which is a really nice feeling.
“It would be lovely to win it, but I’m not going to put myself under that pressure, especially as what’s happened with Bailey has put my life into perspective.
“I believe that I will lift the trophy one day, it’s a matter of when not if. I’m one of the youngest in the top 16, so hopefully I have many fruitful more years to come.
“I’m delighted to be back at the home of snooker, as soon as you walk through the Crucible doors it’s full of nostalgia and history. I’m making my own memories and really excited to start my match.”
Going into the recent Tour Championship, Wilson had barely practised, but still produced a barrage a century breaks and reached the final before losing to Shaun Murphy.
“I was not expecting anything from that event and sometimes that can release the shackles, going in and enjoying it and trusting my ability,” he said. “But I’m quite keen on putting the practice in, I like to feel that I’ve earned my victory, and I’ve put the time and effort coming into the World Championship.”
The man from Kettering faces a tough battle in his first-round match against Ryan Day. He added: “I know how good Ryan is, he’s a fantastic player, just missing out on the cut automatically being here, so on paper it’s probably the toughest draw anyone could have had.”
That match gets underway on Wednesday at 10am.
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