For someone who has won nine world titles across every format in cue sports, Pankaj Advani is remarkably humble.
On Monday, he claimed the IBSF World 6-Red snooker championship in Egypt, making history as the only player in the world to own world titles in both the long and short formats of billiards and snooker.
He won both his world snooker titles on debut – the IBSF World Championship in 2003 and the latest one. It is a measure of the high standards the cueist has set for himself that, despite eight world titles under his belt, he was under pressure at the tournament after a barren two-year period.
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“If winning a world title after two years is a long time, then I guess I have very high standards to match. Maybe, people have got used to me winning every year, but this is sport. It can be very good at times, and also very harsh and cruel,” Advani said.
Asked about his love for world titles, the affable Advani said, “It is easy for my head to become swollen, but I just want to stay grounded. I have never looked at statistics. I have learnt to bide my time and wait for luck to turn my way.”