Kyren Wilson has warned the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump that he will become the first man to break the Crucible curse at this year’s World Snooker Championship.
The 33-year-old will go into the tournament as the defending champion but history suggests he will have a hard time retaining his title.
No first-time champions have managed to repeat their Crucible heroics the following year. Joe Johnson and Ken Doherty have come closest to breaking the duck, each losing in the final 12 months after their debut victories.
Wilson, however, believes he will be in a good position to secure back-to-back titles despite losing to Shaun Murphy in the recent Masters final.
“My game is in fantastic shape,” he said. “I have kicked on since becoming a world champion. I haven’t let it burden me. I have used it to inspire me.
“I like to think there are many more trophies to come. I will give it my all. I will win the Worlds. I did not play well at the Masters. I was stuck in second or third gear all week. I’m capable of a hell of a lot more.
“I’ve got this inner steel. I love playing at the Crucible. It suits my game, it suits my personality. I know how tough it is to win a world championship, but a lot of players go missing after winning it.
“I feel like it has inspired me, it has made me push my chest out a little bit at events. It has given me that inner confidence.”
It remains to be seen if Wilson will manage to defend his title at the Crucible with players like O’Sullivan, Trump and Murphy hoping to claim the honours for themselves.
He will certainly be looking to steer clear of any more freak injuries after spraining his ankle in a bizarre incident during the Masters.
Following his win over Luca Brecel in the quarter-finals, Wilson revealed he had been playing through pain and blamed hotel staff for tucking his sheets in too tightly.
He explained: “I could make up an extravagant story but literally I fell asleep in bed. You know when you’re in a hotel and they tuck the quilt into the mattress? My foot has landed in an awkward position for eight hours.
“I woke up and I couldn’t move. I fell asleep in bed and sprained my ankle. Who does that?”