World Snooker Championship - Mark Williams fires back over break backlash: 'I've been slaughtered'

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 28/04/2021 at 18:18 GMT

Three-time world champion Mark Williams has hit back at his break-off critics after he saw his run at the 2021 World Snooker Championship end at the hands of Mark Selby on Wednesday. The Welshman has pioneered a new approach of breaking off in frames over recent months and has been widely criticised, with some even calling for his approach to be banned.

Mark Williams is not happy with the backlash he has received over his controversial break-offs at the World Snooker Championship after he lost 13-3 to Mark Selby in the quarter-finals.

The Welshman has had to put up with a furore at times in Sheffield over his unusual tactics with break-offs, with even fellow players criticising the "negative" approach.

But the three-time world champion carried on regardless, and even attempted an entirely different and very innovative break-off in the losing effort against Selby on Wednesday.

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While the 46-year-old has seemed to brush off the controversy at the Crucible, with the tournament now behind him he has fired off a frustrated response to his critics.

"I've been doing it for months and months now," Williams told Eurosport after he exited the tournament in Sheffield.

I've been getting slaughtered by everyone. Ban this, ban that, emails...

"And now, a few other players have been doing it, and all of a sudden the commentators have been saying: 'Ah, it's not so bad now. It's actually quite a good break-off.'

"You know, I've had three months of slaughtering, but when other people do it, all of a sudden it's alright."

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On his future plans and likely schedule for the remainder of the year, Williams was not entirely sure if he would make many trips to China.

"I'm going to enter most of them [the tournaments], but if the China ones come back on I can't see myself entering too many of them," he said.

"I'll probably enter the big ones, but I can't see myself travelling to China, coming back for two weeks and then go to another one. I'm not going to be doing that kind of thing.

"But I'll enter most of the ones over here, definitely. Because I'm enjoying it, even though I'm not playing loads. I'm back enjoying it."

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