What links Manchester United’s Beckham, Ronaldo, Best with Ding Junhui? Chinese snooker ace eyes Crucible crown then Old Trafford wish
- A more relaxed Ding wants to shed burdens in his latest World Championship tilt, and is happy to share pressure with Si Jiahui
- United fan Ding says he is itching to attend a match at Old Trafford – it just depends how long he stays in global tournament
Ding Junhui begins his 18th snooker World Championship on Tuesday still chasing an elusive first crown for China, but with a healthier approach to expectation that includes his beloved Manchester United.
Arguably the second-best player, behind Jimmy White, not to have lifted the global title, Ding remains a genuine contender in his long-time hometown of Sheffield, provided he can keep his overburdened and occasionally tortured younger self at bay.
The 37-year-old cuts a more relaxed figure these days, revealing cheerfully that if he should fall short, he will have more chance of fitting in attending a match at Old Trafford.
He has previously met Sir Alex Ferguson, played snooker with United stars such as Marcus Rashford and David de Gea, and even worked on his fitness with first-team coaches at the club’s Carrington training ground.
This weekend could mean round two of the worlds, or Burnley at home.
“It’s been a busy part of the snooker season, so I haven’t been for maybe five months,” Ding said. “I want to be there, I’m talking about it with my friends.
“I’ll see how my results go, and hopefully go to the final games, not this Saturday.”
Appropriately for a man United once presented with a shirt bearing the number associated with George Best, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Jiangsu native enters the Crucible fray as world No 7.
His round one fixture is a banana skin, as he faces top-16 regular Jack Lisowski. Ding, though, is happy not to think too big too soon as he tries to improve on his best showing here, in 2016, when he lost the final 18-14 to Mark Selby.
“It’s hard enough to keep playing well, so I just focus on that,” he said. “Normally [in the past], I would think too much, overthink, about finishing the job in this tournament.
“That only brings more pressure, and that’s not good. [Now] I like to think about playing good. That works much better.”
It helps not to feel as though China’s hopes are his to carry alone. This time Ding can look to Si Jiahui, only 21 but a semi-finalist last year.
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“It’s good to see more young players playing well enough to win tournaments, for fans to follow,” he said. “I want to see that, because I had that for a long time and I want to split the attention, share the pressure.
“Si is a good player and so calm. I watched his qualifying games and he played so well. Whether he’s winning or losing, it doesn’t seem to make a difference, and he just plays the way he plays.”
Ding will try to emulate Si’s calmness against Lisowski. He is also, after two decades as a pro, still chasing improvements, and wants to hear the brutal truth as he does so, relating to Ronnie O’Sullivan’s often dismissive self-appraisals.
“Ronnie is on his level, so how can anyone [feel able to] say it’s wrong?,” Ding said. “People think we are on a different level, so they can be scared to speak up.
“But I accept when my friends say I do the wrong things – I love to hear that, because I want to keep getting better.”
