'It's crazy, it's too much' – Luca Brecel opens up on life as world champion

03/10/2023 08:30

After his incredible victory at the World Snooker Championship this year, life was always going to change dramatically for Luca Brecel and he admits that is proving difficult to deal with.

The 28-year-old had never won a match at the Crucible before this year, then surged to the title, beating the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Mark Williams along the way.

A professional for over a decade and a three-time ranking event winner before that Crucible crown, it wasn’t overnight success, but the world title did fire the Belgian Bullet into a new level of fame.

One of the more relaxed and chilled out characters you will meet in professional sport, Brecel admits the huge rise in attention has even been getting to him, making it hard to concentrate on his snooker.

‘It’s so busy for me now, it’s crazy,’ Brecel told . ‘After I won the Worlds the next six weeks were not so busy actually. I was like, is this it? And then after 8-10 weeks it started coming: the interviews, exhibitions, all sorts of requests and so much attention.

‘I didn’t expect it because I thought it was gone after the Worlds but now it’s just crazy. It’s too much for me, actually.

‘That’s why it’s tough for me to focus or get up for this one [the English Open], or for any tournament really. It’s really, really tough, I need to say to myself not to miss this opportunity to play well or win a tournament. I’m just way too busy.’