Matthew Stevens heads into snooker’s greatest occasion saying he barely practises lately – and his desk at house is of the espresso selection.
The 48-year-old Welshman overcame closely favoured former champion Stuart Bingham 10-7 at World Snooker Championship qualifying to ebook his spot on the Crucible.
But Stevens admits to a “love-hate” relationship with the occasion as he carries the scars of defeats within the 2000 and 2005 finals, whereas he final reached the worldwide showpiece in 2022.
“I’ve had so many good wins there,” Stevens stated. “I’ve played in the one-table set-up six times I think, and I’ve got loads of scars from there, but I wouldn’t change anything. I’d probably change one or two results, but that can’t be helped.”
As for what lies forward, Stevens has a desire for avoiding veterans similar to Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams in addition to newer stars similar to China’s Zhao Xintong.
“I’d rather play the Class of ’62. I don’t want to play Xintong on Saturday morning. I want to be in the tournament longer than that,” stated Stevens in a downbeat evaluation of his prospects.
But he can even go into the event believing he can nonetheless produce aggressive performances.
“I can still play decent now and again,” he stated. “I do play better in the World Championship – must be something that clicks I suppose. I haven’t really played much snooker for the last six months.”
