Should the top players skip an event pre worlds ?

Witz78 wrote:Funny how you didn't hear any of the guys who had just played gruelling qualifiers days before the start of last years Worlds complaining about burnout even though their seeded opponents were "rested" before the start of the tournament proper.

Very good point.

SnookerFan wrote:

Witz78 wrote:Funny how you didn't hear any of the guys who had just played gruelling qualifiers days before the start of last years Worlds complaining about burnout even though their seeded opponents were "rested" before the start of the tournament proper.

Very good point.

Exactly and its the main thing that makes burnout a figure of ridicule. Yes players are tired, but you had players competing over the best part of three weeks not complaining compared to those playing two days and having "burn out"

There's skipping an event to not fatigue yourself particularly when you're playing 16 sessions of snooker in two weeks, but there's dropping out of form. Still if people are going to drop out of this then China is the one to do it in, but its interesting to judge as the first round presumably will be before the cut off

I think players with a serious shout at the Crucible should skip China. I think burn out does exist. I think you'll find most players who qualified for the Crucible last year didn't reach the latter stages of the China Open.

It stands to reason that if your schedule is busy and you are jetting here there and everywhere, you're going to get tired. It's up to players to be smart. Robertson complained last year of burn out, and yet this year he is still entering every single event, trying to set a century record like his life depends on it.

I am sure excuses can be made when a player loses, but there are quite a few here refusing to believe that a player can be negatively impacted by entering large number of tournaments.

Good points raised here

I personally think defending the china open shouldn't be a priority for robbo , winning it was great but retaining a normal ranker isn't a massive deal compared with winning a 2nd world title.

The time gap between china and worlds is smaller this year , so I really hope robbo makes the wise move and doesn't enter china.

We will know soon enough who has entered as qualifying draw will be out soon for china.

Sonny wrote:I think players with a serious shout at the Crucible should skip China. I think burn out does exist. I think you'll find most players who qualified for the Crucible last year didn't reach the latter stages of the China Open.

there was 3 weeks between events mate

if they cant get up to a World championship campaign after 3 weeks of non action then they are in the wrong profession.

if Selby was Burnt out last year it was self inflicted or to do with Promotion of the World Championship but Skipping China last year would not have done much difference with that TBH because most publicity was surrounding the Return of Ronnie and publicity would still be happening plus no time for much practice.

Going away from it and play a event should have helped with so much time between tournaments.

This season there's only 2 weeks between china and the World so skipping it is more beneficent this year than last.

But overall people are looking for excuses to work out why a player was crap at the Crucible last year.

edwards2000 wrote:It stands to reason that if your schedule is busy and you are jetting here there and everywhere, you're going to get tired. It's up to players to be smart. Robertson complained last year of burn out, and yet this year he is still entering every single event, trying to set a century record like his life depends on it.

I am sure excuses can be made when a player loses, but there are quite a few here refusing to believe that a player can be negatively impacted by entering large number of tournaments.

I though Robbo's excuse was that he didn't practice enough after winning the China Open and that he played too defensively?

Just checked last 2 WC and I think I mistook him for another player. Sloppy of me.

However, he has complained of being burnt out over a season:

So, at the age of 21, Robertson returned to Britain, set up home in Cambridge and steadily improved his game each year. His wins on the highly lucrative European circuit made him a millionaire by his mid-20s.

But it wasn’t until Robertson turned 28 that his career peaked and he realised his lifelong dream. He won the world championship and the 2010 World Open; his son, Alexander, was also born just a few days after the championship.

“That was a massive thing and then I played in too many tournaments, I should have had a rest. That season I faded out and got burnt out,” he says.

But perhaps, unlike a few others, he has never blamed a loss on it. I'm not sure.

Eddie 2000

I think it was more to do with adjusting to fatherhood that tired him in that season.

He said after milkins loss

That Robert's safety was brilliant but he made a mistake in not practicing enough after china open.

GJ wrote:Eddie 2000

I think it was more to do with adjusting to fatherhood that tired him in that season.

He said after milkins loss

That Robert's safety was brilliant but he made a mistake in not practicing enough after china open.

He was well beaten by Milky. And he will probably be well beaten by another journeyman in the first round this season.

It depends on their results leading up to the tournament. If Robbo was to say get to a couple of finals before hand then I would say yea, why not skip the China open.

There are still top players that will want to go into the World's with a title under their belts - Selby, Murphy, Allen, Higgins, Maguire, Trump - all come to mindd :)

Casey wrote:It depends on their results leading up to the tournament. If Robbo was to say get to a couple of finals before hand then I would say yea, why not skip the China open.

There are still top players that will want to go into the World's with a title under their belts - Selby, Murphy, Allen, Higgins, Maguire, Trump - all come to mindd :)

Yeah, those you last mentioned will definately want to have a title when the Worlds comes around, and if Robbo manages to do well in the events prior to the China Open, then I think he should give that a miss, even being defending champ.

But even a player winning in the China Open has often proved down the years that he will most likely crash early in the Worlds, those who go far in China usually don't have great runs in the biggest Major.

Another player who I think would definately benefit from skipping a tourney this season is definately Ding, he did it early on the season but could do it again, but honestly don't know which tourney he'll choose if he wants to, have many doubts it'll be the China Open as it's his home event, maybe skipping PTC Grand Finals in Thailand wouldn't be a bad idea for him.

The problem with that method is the distance between the qualifiers and main events. For example, the China open qualifiers are right before the Welsh, so players won't have time to evaluate their form in the next few events. They can't decide, 'oh I've had a good tourney in Wales, I'll give China a miss' because by the time the Welsh Open is done they've already had to make the choice whether to enter or not, despite there being three tournaments in between the qualifiers and main events.

Skullman wrote:The problem with that method is the distance between the qualifiers and main events. For example, the China open qualifiers are right before the Welsh, so players won't have time to evaluate their form in the next few events. They can't decide, 'oh I've had a good tourney in Wales, I'll give China a miss' because by the time the Welsh Open is done they've already had to make the choice whether to enter or not, despite there being three tournaments in between the qualifiers and main events.

But is it not worth getting through to the Last 64 in the China Open and then having the chance to evaluate how things are going even if does mean a fine? Get through to China before having the freedom to choose whether to go over there

PLtheRef wrote:

Skullman wrote:The problem with that method is the distance between the qualifiers and main events. For example, the China open qualifiers are right before the Welsh, so players won't have time to evaluate their form in the next few events. They can't decide, 'oh I've had a good tourney in Wales, I'll give China a miss' because by the time the Welsh Open is done they've already had to make the choice whether to enter or not, despite there being three tournaments in between the qualifiers and main events.

But is it not worth getting through to the Last 64 in the China Open and then having the chance to evaluate how things are going even if does mean a fine? Get through to China before having the freedom to choose whether to go over there

That is devaluing the tournament and would not be favorable with china who is in fact funding the tour at the moment

All valid points lads.
Only way to counteract the devaluing of the cjina open, As wild rightly points out, Is to make it compulsory if seeded to appear.

Would not be popular amongst the players I grant you.
Would if enforced by Barry Hearn and co make for a more level playing field.

China has too much potential for the players to ignore.
They could all potentially make a huge income from displaying their skills to a snooker hungry public.
Sponsors are more plentiful there.

Comes down to economics and the good of snooker
In the long run I feel

It's fantasy to think they'll make it compulsory

Sonny wrote:It's fantasy to think they'll make it compulsory

I agree and personally with all the tournaments around I do think players should have the liberty to choose which tournaments they want to enter without making it compulsory, that would just make things a hell of a lot worse.

Skull is right though, a lot can happen between when they qualify and when the actual tournament begins, but even so players should balance their season in advance and for instance skip a tournament if they feel they'll be too tired when it comes around, etc.

Why is it ,
Why should those that turn up have to compete in world championship having recently travelled to china open and competed..

Andre , When I mentioned " burnout " you dismissed
It.

Now you are admitting that for all top players to attendChina open that would somehow leave the whole field fatigued?

That is rubbish , These players are not fatigued
According to you and most other posters on here.

You are all entitled to your opinions of course .
I think the best idea would be to change the date of the
Week the event is held and maybe movebit back to 6 weeks before worlds.

I still think all should attend this event and promote the name of snooker in china and stop bloody whingeing.

No wonder the aussies take the snake hiss out of us calling us

Poms .

The Cueist wrote:All valid points lads.
Only way to counteract the devaluing of the cjina open, As wild rightly points out, Is to make it compulsory if seeded to appear.

Would not be popular amongst the players I grant you.
Would if enforced by Barry Hearn and co make for a more level playing field.

China has too much potential for the players to ignore.
They could all potentially make a huge income from displaying their skills to a snooker hungry public.
Sponsors are more plentiful there.

Comes down to economics and the good of snooker
In the long run I feel

They wont make it compulsory, you cant have tournaments optional to enter and then force others with the same format.

The way you focus the mind is by putting the cut off after China and putting the tournament forward a week.

Minds are elsewhere in China, just as they were in Plymouth at the April British Opens

If it were me - I would enter the qualies....then come the time, if I had a good season prior and in form I would pull out of China. I think the top players are learning, Robbo and Selby will plan it better this year as opposed to the last couple of years.

Casey wrote:If it were me - I would enter the qualies....then come the time, if I had a good season prior and in form I would pull out of China. I think the top players are learning, Robbo and Selby will plan it better this year as opposed to the last couple of years.

That's a very good point Casey, it's only recently a busy schedule so players still finding themselves and their limits.

Casey wrote:If it were me - I would enter the qualies....then come the time, if I had a good season prior and in form I would pull out of China. I think the top players are learning, Robbo and Selby will plan it better this year as opposed to the last couple of years.

i think Pulling out of a event after Qualifying is a bad move if its Tactical.

it shows lack of respect to the Event.

Each and Every ranking event is important in it own right and should be treated likewise.

Show conviction in your ability and not enter in the first place.

There must be an awful lot of disrespectful tennis players then.....

edwards2000 wrote:There must be an awful lot of disrespectful tennis players then.....

if they pull out tactically after qualifying then yes....

if a player doesn't want to enter that's his decision.

Only way to secure this is to get rid of cutoffs and use the rankings immediately so Welsh detetmines Haikou. Haikou determines China, and so on

Wildey wrote:

Casey wrote:If it were me - I would enter the qualies....then come the time, if I had a good season prior and in form I would pull out of China. I think the top players are learning, Robbo and Selby will plan it better this year as opposed to the last couple of years.

i think Pulling out of a event after Qualifying is a bad move if its Tactical.

it shows lack of respect to the Event.

Each and Every ranking event is important in it own right and should be treated likewise.

Show conviction in your ability and not enter in the first place.

The problem with is, again, the qualifiers, some of which are weeks/months before the main event (I've heard that it's something to do with allowing players to get visas and book plane tickets, accommodation much earlier).

Skullman wrote:The problem with is, again, the qualifiers, some of which are weeks/months before the main event (I've heard that it's something to do with allowing players to get visas and book plane tickets, accommodation much earlier).

If that's why they are months before the event then that makes sense. Each player is different and should evaluate it themselves come the time - they will know if they are tired.

I think Ding Junhui should really consider having a rest before the WC. He's had an amazing season but is losing his form a little, and shouldn't feel under any pressure to equal Hendry's record of rankers in a season. Instead, he should rather take a strategic time-out and make sure he is absolutely ready for an assault on the Championship of the World.

I hope whichever way he chooses to play it ends up being the right decision for him, but he risks coming into the WC a little weary and having peaked too early in the season, or trying to sustain a peak for too long a period of time.

i think he will skip the APTC in china but cant see him missing World Open or China Open