Snooker news as Jimmy White taken back by player 'like Tiger Woods' and Kyren Wilson gives honest truth
News and views from day four of the World Snooker Championship as Ronnie O'Sullivan begins his quest for an eighth Crucible crown against bitter rival Ali Carter
The World Snooker Championship has seen plenty of drama before Ronnie O'Sullivan even took to the table.
Big names have already crashed out, including Kyren Wilson, who suffered a shock first-round defeat to Lei Peifan on the opening day. Another ex-Crucible king, Neil Robertson, has also been ousted, defeated by Chris Wakelin, while last year's runner-up, Jak Jones, was sent packing by formidable Chinese qualifier Zhao Xintong.
The most anticipated match of the first round kicks off on Tuesday as O'Sullivan returns to competitive action for the first time since January, facing off against long-time adversary Ali Carter. Here's a round-up of the latest news and views from the Crucible...
Rocket eligible for another Crucible tournament
O'Sullivan could have the chance to clinch two world championships from next year following the termination of an agreement between the World Snooker Tour (WST) and World Seniors Snooker (WSS).
A pact between the tours allowed players over 40 to participate in WSS events provided they were not within the top 64 in the world rankings, including the World Seniors Championship, which is held at the Crucible shortly after the WST edition.
WSS has been advocating for all players over 45 to be eligible. However, no agreement was reached, and the partnership between WSS and WST will officially conclude after this year's World Seniors Championship.
The rule change will enable any player over the age of 45 to take part in WSS events, as long as they do not coincide with WST tournaments. This means snooker stars, including O'Sullivan, 49, John Higgins, 49, and Mark Williams, 50, are set to be eligible for dual world championship action from 2026.
Wilson weighing up BBC snub
Wilson, reeling from his unexpected early exit, is reconsidering his role as a pundit for the BBC during the tournament. The outgoing champion expressed his reluctance after losing to Lei, stating: "I'm meant to be working for the BBC. I don't know. I don't really want to be there.
"This is extremely tough to take. It really hurts. I've such a strong record at the Crucible. I'm tough to beat here. I cannot think of anything worse than snooker right now. I have tried to be the best ambassador possible but now it's trying to fit in a bit of quality family time."
Should Wilson honour his commitment, he might find himself alongside rival Shaun Murphy, a regular BBC commentator. On the eve of the tournament, Wilson branded Murphy's conduct during January's Masters final as "unprofessional". The accusation left Murphy furious.
Tiger Woods comparison
Jimmy White has drawn parallels between Zhao and golf icon Tiger Woods following the Chinese star's impressive return to the Crucible. The 28-year-old is rebuilding his career after returning to the game following his suspension for his minor role in the sport's match-fixing scandal.
White praised the former UK champion on TNT Sports, saying: "He had the situation where he did not play for a couple of years, but he is the best striker [of a cue ball] I think I have ever seen.
"Every now and again in sport you get people like [Seve] Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, and in snooker you have got Ronnie O'Sullivan. Now this kid has come along. He is a phenomenal player, a phenomenal scorer, we just love everything about him."
Williams to undergo surgery
Williams is set to undergo eye surgery in an attempt to extend his career. The Welsh Potting Machine has been open about his declining vision and has recently started wearing contact lenses.
Following his first-round win over Wu Yize, he said: "I've tried playing with contacts but it's very difficult and really uncomfortable in my eyes.
"I'm booked in on 12 June, I think, to get a lens replacement. If everything goes OK, hopefully that could prolong my career for another four or five years. That's what I'm hoping anyway."
Davis predicts changing of the guard
Steve Davis has spotted signs of an impending generational shift in the sport. Commenting during Higgins' tense win against Joe O'Connor, Davis suggested that fresh faces like O'Connor are poised to usurp the old guard in the rankings.
Higgins managed to seal the win this time, but rising talents are increasingly challenging established professionals like him, Williams and O'Sullivan.
Davis said on the BBC: "The general trend is towards a changing of the guard in this game. A lot of younger players coming through are getting a load of experience.
"Some of the more established players - they're still great players - but they're up against it more often. So there's going to be a lot of changing in the ranking list over the next couple of years. It could look completely different."
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Caitlin Clark's new Wilson basketballs reveal who she is as a person
The colors, the patterns, the detailing -- all are the result of months-long conversations between Clark and Wilson's design team about who she is, what she likes and what messages she wants to send to young fans. "It was a really fun process for me to go through," Clark told USA TODAY Sports. "It's things that are super important to me and all very different things, too, throughout my life. So hopefully they can make an impact on whoever's going to pick the ball up." Clark joined Michael Jordan as the only athletes to be brand ambassadors for Wilson, signing a multiyear sponsorship deal in May 2024 with the official manufacturer of basketballs for the WNBA, NBA and NCAA. In part because of the short turnaround time before the release of her first signature ball last October, Clark's first line leaned heavily into history. The records she broke at Iowa. Her historic rookie season with the WNBA's Indiana Fever. But Clark and Wilson knew they wanted future lines to be more personal, reflecting who Clark is as a person as much as a player. "She's actually influencing this. It's not just people at Wilson picking the design," Hudson Vantrease, director of product design at Wilson, said. "We never wanted to just put her name on a ball and call it a day," he added. "We want to tell the most compelling story, and having her as part of that is a positive to it." Wilson invited USA TODAY Sports to attend the design team meeting in April where Clark saw the finished basketballs for the first time. The design team also gave USA TODAY Sports a behind-the-scenes look at the collaboration process with Clark for the latest collection, which will be released June 23. There are four balls in the collection, and they differ in both purpose (one is an indoor-only ball, one is outdoor-only and two can be used either indoors or outdoors) and price point. One, the Embrace, is an Evo NXT basketball, meaning it has the same construction as a regulation W ball and could be used in official games. "Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome," Clark said when she walked into the Indiana Fever's practice gym and saw the four new basketballs. "You guys killed it." The team responsible for developing Clark's line has about a dozen core members. They met with Clark at last year's All-Star Game and got her initial thoughts about the collection, including what a young Caitlin Clark would have wanted. "I think she said a blue ball," said Haley Reines, the product line manager at Wilson. Afterward, Reines and product designer Julia Muscarello sent Clark a detailed questionnaire, asking her everything from her favorite color (blue) to her hobbies outside of basketball (golf, being on the water) to what she'd be if she wasn't a basketball player (chef). They also monitored social media, taking note of Clark's clothes -- there's an Instagram account devoted to her fits -- and what she does off the court. "I don't want to say borderline stalking, but yeah," Muscarello said with a laugh. "I was trying to stay on the Caitlin pulse." Those answers and details drove the design process, which involved "hundreds" of hours. Christopher Rickert, the senior director of global production at Wilson, said the team began with 50 design ideas and whittled them down. Sometimes the color wasn't right. Sometimes the pattern didn't work. Sometimes what seemed like a great idea on paper didn't quite translate into reality. When the team had 10 ideas, they sent the designs to Clark for her thoughts. There were further tweaks, and prototypes were made to make sure the designs looked the same on an actual basketball as they did in drawings. The four designs ultimately chosen for this year's line all have very different looks, but there's a commonality to all of them. Clark. "Whenever I do something, I want to make it the best product possible for people. But also I feel like this is an easy way for me to connect with my fans," Clark said of being so involved in the design process. "I want it to feel very personal for them, too. They can connect with me, not just by watching me on TV or coming and buying a ticket to a game." Take the Oasis ball, which can be used indoors and outdoors. Clark told Reines and Muscarello that her favorite color is blue, she likes pastels and her happy places are the water and golf course. So the panels of the Oasis ball are white and light blue, and the light blue panels have what looks like pink and green splashes of paint but is actually an abstract drawing of a golf course. Clark picked up on it right away when she saw the ball. "That looks like a hole on a golf course!" she exclaimed. Light blue is also the shade used for the pattern on the Envision, an outdoor ball. At first glance, it looks like a maze, but it's really the words "DREAM BIG." That phrase is also on the Aspire, an indoor/outdoor ball that at first appears to be white or grey. Put it in the sunlight, however, and the phrases "Dream Big," "Keep Going" and "You're Going to Be Amazing Because You Are Amazing" emerge in bold, Fever-red letters. That last phrase is what Clark says to Boston before every game. "See, she loves it!" Clark said, pointing to a picture of her and Boston on the bench that was on the design team's planning whiteboard. "We'll get her a free basketball. She'll love it. I'm going to put it in her locker." Because the Embrace is an official basketball, it cannot have any obvious detailing. Look closely, though, and you can see a pattern -- again, light blue -- within the Wilson logo and in what looks like a sunburst around the airhole. Both are the visual representation of the decibel level at a Fever game; the Wilson team took an audio file of the sound and made a graphic out of it. "Fans really admire how she just plays so well under pressure," Muscarello said. "Sometimes it's OK to embrace the noise." Though Clark had been involved in every step of the design process, seeing the basketballs on a computer screen is very different than holding the finished product. Clark picked up each of the basketballs and examined it, taking note of the different details. She spun each ball and shifted it from one hand to the other. She also studied the design team's white boards, pointing to some of the notes and photos. Though she initially seemed most taken by the Oasis ball, she was fascinated with the Envision's UV technology and said she'd have loved to have had a basketball that revealed "secret" messages when she was a kid. She also was impressed that Wilson's design team was able to turn a decibel meter reading into a design. "They're all unique in their own way. They all have different things I love about them," Clark said. "I think they each serve their own purpose and are different. "So I guess you have to buy 'em all!" she added, laughing. While there will be some fans who buy the whole collection, whether to use or keep as memorabilia, Clark was conscious of not pricing any fans out of the new line. Two of the balls are less than $50, with the outdoor Envision ball costing $27.95 and the Oasis indoor ball priced at $49.95, while the Aspire outdoor ball is $54.95. The Embrace, which is Wilson's premium Evo NXT basketball, costs $124.95. All the balls will be available on Wilson's website and at retail sporting goods stores. Last year's collection sold out almost immediately and, given the appetite for all things Clark, it's a good bet this one will, too. "It's kind of cool to see how the balls came back and they feel very `me,'" Clark told USA TODAY Sports. "That's what I love about it. I feel like I'm sharing part of my life and my journey with people. "I could have never dreamed (as a child) to have something like this," she added. "It's pretty special." Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Murray leaves door open to coaching return
June 10 (Reuters) - Former world number one Andy Murray has left the door open to a coaching return after his short stint with Novak Djokovic ended without a trophy, but the Scot said he did not expect to be working with another player anytime soon. Serb Djokovic appointed Murray ahead of this year's Australian Open and said at the Qatar Open in February they would continue working together for an indefinite period. However, the 24-times Grand Slam champion then endured a woeful run of form and the pair parted ways last month ahead of the French Open. "I would do it again at some stage. I don't think that will happen immediately," Murray told the BBC on Monday. "I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. "It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. You also learn a lot about how to work with a team. "You're working with a physio, physical trainers, agents, and you need to know how to get your message across to the player and find out what makes them tick. "That was the thing I learned and something I need to work on if I want to do it again in the future," added Murray. Though they won no titles in their six-month partnership, Murray said he had good memories of his time working with former rival Djokovic. "It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court," the three-times Grand Slam champion added. "Results weren't as we wanted but we gave it a go. We'll see about coaching in the future but I don't think that will happen for a while."
Metro
10 hours ago
- Metro
Zak Surety on wild Crucible debut: They can't ever move from there - it's mad
Zak Surety had a very eventful debut at the World Snooker Championship this year and although he both loved and hated the experience, he was convinced that the 'mad' Crucible is the perfect home for the event. The 33-year-old enjoyed his best ever season by a long stretch, reaching a first semi-final at the World Open and finishing the campaign with a Crucible debut after brilliant performances in qualifying. At the iconic Sheffield theatre he faced Chinese superstar Ding Junhui and the pair produced an amazing opening round contest. Ding went 4-0 up as Surety struggled with the occasion and things looked very sticky for the Englishman at the first interval. 'At the start I walked out and sat in my seat and that was the strangest I've ever felt,' Surety told Metro. 'I've never felt that uncomfortable. My arms didn't feel part of my body. It felt like my tip didn't belong to me. Everything felt wrong. 'I've got myself in a bit of a state and I'm 4-0 down. I'm in the dressing room thinking I really don't want to go out there. It's your dream, but I just didn't want to go back out there because I was making myself look like an absolute idiot.' Surety has spoken openly about his struggles with anxiety before, so it is to his immense credit that he overcame those feelings in some style, starting with only losing that first session 6-3. 'I made a century the last frame of the first session,' he remembers. 'When the screen came up it was probably the best buzz I've ever had because it was the whole Crucible to myself. The noise in there! I was welling up as I got to 90 and thought, is this really me? 'Obviously then the second day I flew.' He certainly did, becoming the first player in Crucible history to make four centuries on debut and although he ultimately lost 10-7, he did anything but make himself look like an absolute idiot. 'I actually watched the second session back last week and I don't feel like it's me,' he said. 'It's just some random bald bloke on the tele. I'm watching it back and thinking, did that really happen? 'I felt weird after because I left, I've set a record, I've played well, I can go home and the pressure of it is all over. They're all talking about me on the tele, great position going into next season, everything's good. 'Then you're home and you think about it and that was such a good chance. I was playing so well, I could have done something there and it quickly goes from feeling quite content about the whole experience to being quite annoyed.' Mixed feelings sums up the Crucible experience as Surety's first game there epitomised the cliché that the venue is both the best and worst place to play snooker. 'I sat down and tried to convince myself it was going to be the best place on Earth, but you get it drummed into your head how you're meant to feel in there,' he said. 'Mark Allen asked me how I was feeling and told me that he was there for the 19th time and still struggles every time he walks out there. It's like it's normal. 'I watched the opening morning before travelling up and Steve Davis said on camera: 'I can't wait to watch the top players in the world squirm under the pressure of the Crucible.' I looked at my girlfriend and said: 'Bloody hell, that's me this year!'' 'Although I hated those first four frames, that's how I'm meant to feel. You sit there, look left and that's where Steve Davis picked up all them trophies. I was looking up at the lights on the roof and tearing up. How the hell am I here? You find yourself losing yourself in the history of the place. 'At the start it felt like the walls sucked in on me and you just notice every set of eyes in the whole arena. I thought they were on me, which they were, but you notice it. The next day I was flying and it was like no one else was in there.' Surety was a huge fan of the place before playing there, but is now convinced that the unique nature of the Crucible is why it should remain the home of the World Championship, beyond the current contract which ends in 2027. 'They can't ever move from there,' he said. 'It's just…it's mad. 'It's so small in there, I think you're only allowed two back stage passes, but it works because you walk into the Champions Lounge upstairs and there's Stephen Hendry. As I walked in he said: 'Great run in the World Open, well done for qualifying, I'm glad to see you doing well.' I'd never spoken to Stephen Hendry before! Things like that make it mad.' The challenge for Surety now is to build on the very encouraging end to last season and make it back to the Crucible next year, something he is working hard on. 'I lost to Ding on the Tuesday and I was back here in the club on the Wednesday,' he said. 'I quite like that time of year because you're not practising for anything, just playing and having a laugh.' More Trending The popular Essex star also had a summer of cue questions which has seen him chop, change and return to old faithful which arrived from eBay a decade ago. 'My cue's not the greatest. I love it, but it's an old Chinese cue that my dad picked up off eBay about 10 years ago for 130 quid,' he explained. 'There are a lot better cues, but it's obviously my own. 'John Parris has made me a new one and I used it for three or four days. I like using other cues as a bit of a challenge. I think I've made a century with near enough every bit of wood in the club. But when it's handed to you and this could be something you're going into the season with, I couldn't do it. 'I had to call John and say you can have your you're very expensive, beautiful cue back. I want me little piece of poo off eBay back and I I'm cracking on.' 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