Allen prepares for the first round of the World Championships: No one is stronger than me
On April 24, 2024, according to Hegel, Allen feels that he is stronger than any other player at this year's World Championships, and his goal is to win the first world championship of his career.
Guncannon has been one of the most prominent players in the tournament over the past two years, winning five ranking tournaments and the Crown of Champions since the start of last season.
The Northern Irishman was still looking for more consistency after some big names crashed out early on, but he was very happy with his game, especially mentally.
Allen told Metropolis: "I'm happy with my game form and my mental state. I was very well prepared and worked with a psychologist, so everything was fine. It doesn't guarantee success, I have to play well in the ring. ”
"I worked with psychologist Paul Gaffney for two years, and it made me realize how mentally prepared I was when I felt strong. ”
"I want to say I'm better than a lot of other players, but he took me to the next level. I truly believe that no one is psychologically stronger than me at this moment. ”
"It would be great if you could play at the level you should have. You can't always expect to be in good spirits, you need to get out there and show it. ”
Allen's performance has caused some snooker experts to debate, as he sometimes slows down and some wins are more of a hard-fought battle than a free-flowing shot.
The 38-year-old doesn't care how he wins, he just wins. The change, he said, first came after he lost a lot of weight two years ago.
"I just play whatever I want," he said. If I'm feeling good, I'll attack more and play a little faster, and if I'm not feeling good, I'll turn down a few shots and wait for my chance. ”
"A lot of this is due to weight loss and technical grinding. I need to give myself a few more seconds because my body is not in the same shape and I missed some easy shots. A lot of it is because of a loss of confidence. But the efficacy is the same, so why change?"
"I don't care about criticism, I just want to play and win, and if that's the best way for me to compete, let someone else say it. ”
Seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry has been one of the voices questioning Allen's new style of play, with Guncannon saying it was disappointing to hear about the sport's legend, but he stood his ground.
"You see it, you hear it, you hear it from people who I respect their opinions, so it's a little disappointing from their point of view," he said. But that doesn't change the way I approach things. I'm a huge fan of Stephen Hendry and he criticised that, but I've won six titles in 18 months, so why should I change that?"
"He's got an all-out attitude, but it probably cost him some fights and shortened his career. I'm not as dominant as Hendry yet, but I feel like my game can remain competitive for many years to come. ”
The way the sport has developed over the past few years, age doesn't seem to be an obstacle to success, and despite not having a world champion at the age of 38, Allen still intends to add a series of titles to his career resume.
"I'm not just chasing a World Title," he said. I have to chase multiple goals, and I haven't won a World Title yet and I say I'm going to take many, which may sound strange, but what if I'm just chasing one goal and then getting it? I want to win more, and I'm here to win more. ”
Allen will face Robbie Williams in his first game of the year at Crucible, which kicks off at 10 p.m. CST. (Welcome to click to pay attention to moisturizing AB, please indicate the source for reprinting, thank you)