I went out boozing until 6am and was drunk as hell before beating Ronnie O’Sullivan – I don’t even like partying
LUCA BRECEL has opened up about his 2023 Snooker World Championship win.
The 29-year-old had failed to win at the Crucible prior to the competition but went on an outstanding run to clinch the trophy.
He even admitted that he was ill before the event in Sheffield and barely practised in the build-up.
However, Brecel defeated Mark Williams in the last-16 to book his spot in the quarter-finals, where he faced seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.
After trailing 6-10 following the first two sessions, he won the last seven frames to beat the Rocket in superb style.
Having defeated O’Sullivan, Brecel admitted that he played off the back of a huge drinking session with his friends back in Belgium.
He said: “After I beat Mark Williams, I went home, got home at 7am, went out the same day until 5 or 6 in the morning, drunk as hell.
“Then the next day I had to drive back here, so it’s totally different preparation.”
Some snooker fans were stunned at the revelation, but Brecel now claims it helped take his mind off the huge task at hand.
The Belgian Bullet told the Metro: “When I drive now I get tired, but up until now I never got tired from driving and I liked it, in a way.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“It made me calm and put my mind in a different space. I just tried to enjoy myself as much as possible and not think about the World Championship, not think about getting results.
“All my friends were really into it, they were all like, ‘Oh, are you going to win the next game?’ I was trying to avoid it. Just do my own thing and not think about it too much.”
Brecel continued driving back and forth from Belgium while his journey at the World Snooker Championship continued.
He added: “I’ve never done it before and I’m never going to do it again because actually I don’t really drink much, I don’t like partying, I love being at home, a chilled life. That was just a strange phase in my life.
“I don’t know how I did it, especially over 17 days. If it was a four-day tournament then you could get away with but I don’t know how I kept it going for the whole tournament. I played really well in every game…it’s strange, very strange.”
Brecel also came from behind to defeat Si Jiahui 17-15 in the semi-finals.
And he clinched an 18-15 win over Mark Selby in the final.
Reflecting on the competition, the Belgian Bullet continued: “It took me some time to really let it sink in.
“The first few months it was strange, I couldn’t get my head around it. Even now I still think about it every week, maybe every day.”
Since his Championship win, Brecel has built up an impressive car collection including a Ferrari, a Range Rover and a Porsche.
He also went on a game show and won a printer.
O’Sullivan has tipped him to defend his title this year.
The Rocket said: “He’s that sort of character. He doesn’t fear pressure. He doesn’t fear anybody.
“So if anybody can do it, I think it will be somebody like Luca.
“I think he’s game is coming good. It feels like he is playing well. He’s losing a bit of weight, he feels good about his game, you can tell that by his interviews. A danger man for sure.”