“I would run naked along the M4 from London to Cardiff.”
Such is Mark Williams’ desire to win a fourth world title. It’s a bold statement, but he’s a man of his word.
When he last won the Crucible in 2018, he made good on a similar pre-race promise to strip naked in front of the world’s media.
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Williams beat John Higgins 17-15 in the final to add to his 2000 and 2003 titles, and appeared naked at the post-match press conference.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get another championship, but as time goes by, your chances of winning it get smaller and smaller,” he said before this year’s race.
If he wins, he could not only cause chaos on the motorway but also surpass Ronnie O’Sullivan and become the oldest world champion in history.
Mark Williams goes naked for press conference after winning third world title in 2018 [Getty Images]
The 51-year-old, from Cwm, a small village near Ebbw Vale in south Wales, came very close to achieving the milestone last year.
As the oldest finalist in history, he was eventually defeated by Zhao Xintong 18-12, and Zhao Xintong himself also made history and became the first Chinese and Asian world champion.
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health problems
Williams made it to the finals despite his deteriorating vision and awaiting lens replacement surgery.
“If something goes wrong, it’s over. That’s the only thing that stops me. I’m with [former player] Anthony Hamilton did it too, but it ruined his career because of the glare of the TV lights,” Williams said.
“Eventually I will have eye surgery, but whether it’s this year, next year, I don’t know.”
As well as having an unusual fear of tea bags, Williams revealed after the Tour Championship in Manchester earlier this year that he had been struggling with “poofs” – the sudden and unexplained loss of the ability to perform certain skills.
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“It’s a little concerning. I’m like a paranoid mess right now because I’m just thinking, I’m not messing this up, I’m grabbing. Yeah, it’s not good, but I need to practice to get out of it,” Williams added.
“I didn’t put in enough work. I’m going to come in now and try to compete most of the time leading up to the World Championships just to try and get my timing back.”
Mark Williams defeats Sean Murphy to become the oldest ranking event winner since the 2025 Xi’an Grand Prix [Getty Images]
Williams’ caution about having surgery suggests he’s still determined to keep going for years to come – and who can blame him.
Last October, he won the Xi’an Grand Prix at the age of 50 years and 206 days, breaking the record set by fellow Welshman Ray Reardon in 1982 and becoming the oldest winner in a ranking event.
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Even now, having turned 51 last month, he is still ranked sixth in the world heading into this weekend’s World Championships.
“When I turned 45, I said I wanted to see where I was ranked when I was 50,” Williams recalled.
“I’m not going to retire, I made that decision a few years ago. It will be interesting to see where I am in the rankings at 55.”
He may have ruled out retirement but isn’t that confident about his chances at the Crucible this year.
“I’m still fighting. I’m still working hard, that’s all I can say,” he said.
“I try my best in every game and if you win it’s great and if you lose it’s not the end of the world.
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“I’ve been doing this since I was eight years old. My father worked in the mines for 30 years and my grandfather worked in the mines for 50 years.
“I just travel the world, play a stupid game like snooker and get paid well for it and enjoy it. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Williams has a love-hate relationship with the Crucible but welcomed confirmation that the World Championships will be held in Sheffield until at least 2045, following the success of three previous editions.
“That’s fine. I’ve always said the Crucible is not my favorite venue, but there’s no doubt that the World Championship should stay there,” he said.
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“This is the birthplace of snooker and there’s no better atmosphere than here. It would have been perfect.”
The Welsh Potting Machine begins his quest for a fourth world title against qualifier Antoni Kowalski on the opening day of the tournament (Saturday 18 May).
If he makes it all the way to the May 4 finals, he may need to put on those running trainers – but not much else.
