Zhao Xintong believes that finding the right mindset through months of preparation was a crucial factor behind his success as he reflected on his Halo World Championship victory.
The 28-year-old from China had to win four matches in the qualifying rounds just to make it to the Crucible, then went on to beat five more players in the televised stages. He set a new record for the most matches won in capturing the title, and joined Terry Griffiths (1979) and Shaun Murphy (2005) as the only qualifiers to lift the trophy. Overall in the tournament he played 172 frames, winning 111.
Zhao had previously won just a single match at the Crucible, in 2022 when he beat Jamie Clarke 10-2 before losing 13-9 to Stephen Maguire. "I learned a lot from that match against Maguire," said the left-hander after becoming the 24th player to lift the trophy at the Crucible, and third consecutive first-time winner after Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson. "I realised that you can’t prepare for this tournament just two weeks in advance. You need to adjust your mindset and calm yourself down over a much longer period, maybe even a whole year. So this time, I really applied the lessons I’d learned from losing in the past. Those experiences helped me at the crucial moments.
"I tried to keep myself in a very calm and quiet state throughout. When friends invited me out for meals, I mostly said no. I stayed on my own most of the time, maybe occasionally had a meal with one or two others. I’d finish my match, go home, rest, then head back to the venue or the practice room. It was just training and playing, very simple.
"To reach the final and lift the trophy, it’s incredibly tough. I’ve been playing in this tournament for 29 days, nearly a whole month. I’ve won nine matches, all long-format ones. It’s been truly, unbelievably hard. Ever since I started playing snooker seriously, this dream has always been there. I think it’s the same for most professionals, we all carry this dream. But now I’ve actually made it come true. When I lifted the trophy, I could hardly believe it. It felt like a dream. But it really happened."
Zhao flew to Shenzhen, close to Hong Kong in the south of China, on Wednesday to spend time with his family and friends, but he's already excited about building on his success next season and he'll be introduced as World Champion for the first time at the Shanghai Masters in July.
"I think my form will be even better next season," he said. "To be honest, I didn’t set high expectations for myself coming into the World Championship as I had to start from the very first round of qualifying. So next, I’ll reset my mindset and aim to win even more matches. I know that to be a truly top level athlete, the challenges will only get bigger and there will be more tests ahead. I’ll have to keep learning and growing through them.
"I just hope all the young players and kids who love snooker will believe in themselves. As long as you train hard enough, one day, you can achieve this too."