By Sahil Kohli
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 2 : The 29-time world champion Pankaj Advani termed his title win at the World Billiards Championship in Birmingham as the 'top three' in his career in terms of quality and standard of play and opened up on the process which helped him earn another major accolade of his illustrious cue sports career. 
Advani clinched his 29th career world title after defeating England's Robert Hall 1906-1206 in the final of the WBL World Billiards Championship in Birmingham, producing a stunning 587 break to seal a memorable victory. The 41-year-old, the only Indian to reach the semifinals, showcased his experience and scoring prowess to overcome Hall in a gruelling five-hour final, extending his remarkable record in cue sports.
Speaking to ANI after his win, Pankaj said, "It is a wonderful feeling. When you play against the best players of the world, and the quality of the game is very high, then you have got to raise your own level. And that is exactly what happened during that entire week."
"I felt like I was, I think this would definitely be in the top three wins of my career in terms of the standard and quality of play. So extremely happy with the result, and I believe I have worked very very hard this time to achieve this title," he added. 
Pankaj said that he knew it was not going to be an easy tournament, since English players are very formidable and have upped their game constantly over the last two to three years. 
The finalist that I played against, Rob Hall, who is a friend also but, you know, an excellent player. He has improved so much. And that was the only match I was actually down, you know, by 300-320 points. And I felt like at one point there was no hope. But when I got into my rhythm and got into my zone, then I was able to make it count and stage a comeback, which is something that I have done in my career," he said. 
"But, you know, if you do not have the belief sometimes and things still happen because of your preparation and your self-belief, I think sometimes it just works out and, you know, the second session belonged entirely to me. But the first session, I was very very slow to start off. So, the mindset was simple. I had to score every time I got a chance. But at the same time, I feel like, the sport is very unpredictable. It can be your day. Sometimes, it may not be your day. But I think the preparation that went into this event, this time, I think, has truly paid off," he added. 
The 29-time world champion, who has achieved immense success across snooker and billiards, disagrees with the idea that cue sports are a "lazy sport" just because players get to play inside an air-conditioned room. He shed light on the fitness work cue players do and the process he followed during the title clash at Birmingham, which ultimately paid off. 
"There is a lot of fitness work that we have to do, especially with our upper back, lower back, legs. I remember that during this championship, I was playing at least on an average of 5 hours of billiards every day, which is very very taxing, more mentally than physically. But yes, if you want to support your mind and you want to ensure that you are at your highest level of concentration, you have got to be physically fit as well," he said. 
"Otherwise, your body gives way. So, in that sense, yeah, a lot of work has gone into that. Going to the gym, you know, targeting certain muscle groups that are crucial to our sport and ensuring that I strengthen them and keep them in good shape while I am competing," he added. 
Pankaj revealed when he got a one-hour break during his final against Rob, when he was down in the match, he just could not stop thinking about how he was playing. In order to regain back his eye, he put some eye drops in and tried getting into a better state of mind by reading a spiritual book and having a couple of toast slices.
"In the final, when I was down and we had a one-hour break, I thought to myself, what do I do? I mean, it is one hour, I cannot stop thinking about the match. I cannot stop thinking about how poorly I played. Not that I played very badly, but I was not in my element, so to say. 
And obviously, I was down in that phase of the final. So, I just put my eye drops on because I feel like my eyes were getting dry. I read a spiritual book," he said. 
"I had a couple of slices of toast. I just I went to, you know, there was another room in the venue where some of the local players who were playing at a very an amateur level, just seeing through the table rather than seeing their game and just unwinding. You know, that just helped me take my mind off the final for a bit," he added. 
Pankaj said that after some reading, making sure his eyes were at his best and taking his mind away from the title clash for a while, he was all fired up for the second session to go all guns blazing. 
Active for over two decades in India's cue sports scene, this legend of the world of billiards and snooker also has an athlete who inspires him, like a lot of world champions across the world. For him, it is the Swiss tennis legend, Roger Federer. It is a 20-time Grand Slammer's conduct off the court that Pankaj really admires, other than his sporting accomplishments. 
"It has to be Roger Federer (A sporting icon who inspires him). And I will tell you why, not only because of his achievements on the tennis court, but because of the way he conducted himself off the tennis court. His connection with his fans, he never really abused on court, you know, he was always classy," he said. 
"He had his moments, but he was always classy about things. Gave his interviews, you know, in the most honest way that a sports person could do. And I think he is a perfect example of being a complete package or being the people's champion.  So, for me, Federer will always stand out as a truly special athlete," he added. 
Having spent over two decades in the cue sports, it is the drive to maximise his potential and ensuring that he is playing at the best of his abilities that keeps him going. 
"I do not think there is any particular tournament right now in this phase of my career that I want to focus on winning or saying that, Oh, I have not achieved this or I want to do this or that. 
But I just want to be the best player that I can. And I have always felt that there is never an end to learning. I am still a student of the game," he said. 
Pankaj said that he has a "long way to go to be perfect". 
"Even there is no such thing as perfection. But to even reach that level where I can say that I have maximised my potential.  I think that is my next big aim. To ensure that I can play to the best of my ability and reach my full potential as a snooker as well as a billiards player. And that is really what keeps me going," he said. 
There is no number or target that Pankaj has attached to the number of his world championship wins. He approaches every tournament with an aim to deliver his best and works on specific areas of his game/fitness according to the competition.  
"Every tournament that I go to, I want to do well in. Every tournament that I go to, I prepare for it specifically. For example, this World Billiards Championship was a test of stamina and endurance. So, I felt like, okay, let me work on my fitness. Let me work on my physical strength. Let me work on playing 4-5 hours a day so that I can simulate that training and make sure that when I am actually in the match arena, I do not feel out of place. I do not feel tired," he said.
"So, specifically then again, for the next events which I have got, I have got a downstart. You know, they are shorter formats. I have got to start playing quicker I have to start, you know, with a bang and start from the word go. So, similarly, I will train for those championships accordingly and try my best. But there is no number really I have put now to things."
"I am obviously in the pursuit of excellence more than, you know, just winning particular titles. But yes, of course, if I do win tournaments, it is a bonus. And obviously, who would not want to win? Everybody goes there to win, right? But when you do go there and play well and, you know, are genuinely happy with your level of play like I was in this World Billiards Championship in Birmingham, that I feel is the true victory for an athlete," he signed off.