Andre147 wrote:Tennis is a global sport mate and it's much worse in Tennis, with the Majors, Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open and Roland Garros all played at same venue for god knows how long, almost 100 years!
It adds to the prestige of the event. I'm from Portugal, and dont get me wrong I would love if the World Champs were held here or another emerging European country like Germany, but I think it's the right decision to have it in Sheffield. If it were up to me it would forever stay at the Crucible, and that's coming from a massive fan of Snooker who lives 4 countries away from England.
I want to be there at Crucible one day, hopefully soon because we dont know if after 2017 the contract will be renewed.
I get your point, World Champs and all that should be played all over the World, but like I said Tennis in that aspect is much "worse" and it aint because of that their Majors lose prestige, quite the opposite. Same happens with the Crucible in Sheffield, it breaths Snooker so I hope it remains there for as long as possible.
Hey Andre,
Thats an interesting perspective. I've never been a tennis fan so it is a sport I tend to overlook, but there are a couple of things I would say:
1) Unlike snooker (and most sports), tennis does not have one big tournament that stands head and shoulders above the others. It has been known for tennis fans to argue about which of the slams is the most prestigious. In snooker there is no debate - the World Championship is on a different level to all other tournaments.
2) The 4 tennis majors are played in 4 different countries across 3 different continents. By contrast, all 3 triple crown events in Snooker are played in the same country - the UK. I suppose the UK Championship would have to be played in the UK, because it is called the UK Championship, but how would you feel about the Masters being played in a different country?
Also, what is it exactly that you think is special about the Crucible (I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just interested to hear your opinion). Is it the physical layout, the atmosphere, the history or something else?
The final thing I would say for now is that it is worth remembering that the Snooker World Championship has not always been held in the UK. Ray Reardon won one of his World titles in Australia, for instance, so having the World Championship in a different country is not without precedent.