After a two-year absence, Hong Kong's famous player, three-time ranking champion and much-loved fans will return to the world snooker qualifiers.
The last time the 44-year-old played in the official competition was at the Welsh Open in February 2020, and he chose to stay in Hong Kong due to the epidemic, family and eye diseases.
Last summer, given Fu's actual situation and his huge contribution to the development of the Sport in Asia, the WST awarded Fu a two-year invitation wild card – but this year's World Championship qualifier was the first time Fu had used it.
Next, Fu Jiajun will try to reach Crucible for the 19th time and qualify for the ninth time to qualify for the World Championships – he will need to win four consecutive games at the 121st place. However, the former world fifth said that he was ready to open a new chapter.
Fu Jiajun, who has been practicing at Sheffield for more than 10 days, said: "It feels good to come back. It's been over two years since I last played and I miss my days in england and all the players on the tour. ”
"I'm really not sure how the qualifying rounds will unfold, I would say I'm in a state of complete unknown to the current strength. I certainly had a beautiful resume at the World Championships, played many times, and broke through from the qualifiers many times. ”
"But I haven't played a formal match in two years, and recently I haven't touched a club for two months because of the closure of the Hong Kong Sports Institute. These have a big impact. ”
"I feel that through training, I am slowly getting back in shape, getting better and better every day, but I lack the feeling of actual combat. But I scored a 149 a few days ago, so the goal was in good shape. ”
"I actually knew that I decided to go back to England to play the World Championship qualifiers when the registration was about to close, so I didn't really have a very thorough plan, I didn't train systematically for the goal of the World Championships, and I didn't prepare for the competition at that time."
"I got an email from WST and I only made up my mind a few weeks ago, I miss the field, I've been away for too long and I want to play again. The old guys seem to be playing well right now! ”
When the epidemic struck, Fu Jiajun had just adjusted from the laser eye surgery at the end of 2017, after his career was in a hurry due to retinal degeneration and his vision problems.
"Since the pandemic, the condition of my eyes has gotten worse. After the initial surgery, the recovery of the eyes was smooth, I just needed to get used to the new situation and the 'flying mosquitoes' in the eyes. ”
"I didn't have anything to do at home during the pandemic, so I started jumping rope, but it seemed that the vibrations that came when my feet touched the ground were not good for my eyes, and the same was true for running."
"The pandemic has had an impact on me, but I can't use it as an interface for myself to play badly because I'm used to it. The impact of the epidemic on my career is far greater than the eye disease. ”
At 9:30 p.m. Beijing time on April 5, Fu Jiajun will meet Burns in the first round of the World Championship qualifiers. Although he already has an excellent resume, Fu Jiajun still hopes to achieve more.
"Being in the top eight, top 16, and playing against a bunch of legendary players for 20 years is an important highlight of my career."
"I've won a couple of titles, not the World Championships, the Masters or the British Championships, but they've all been weighty victories. The first defeat of O'Sullivan was very special and sweet. ”
"It was the Grand Prix (the predecessor of the World Open) in Preston in 1998 and I was on live television for the first time and beat him 5-2. I had no expectations for my first game after switching careers, but I beat one of the best players in the world. (Fu jiajun finished runner-up at 377th, the lowest-ranked finalist in history.) ）”
"I reached the semi-finals twice in Crucible, losing to Alberton (2006) and Selby (2016)."
"However, I hope the best moment has not yet come! Now that I'm both experienced and fresh, I might be able to win the Best Newcomer Award next season! ”