In the quarter-finals of the Snooker Masters, Ding Junhui was reversed by Trump with a score of 6-3 after leading 3-1. Ding Junhui has not won against Trump in nearly 10 years, and his mistakes were as fierce as a tiger, causing Trump to exclaim unbelievably. Apart from the rack error, Ding Junhui did not make any other mistakes, but he was helpless because the opponent's play was too outrageous and unreasonable. Any player would lose in such a situation. For example, Ding Junhui's defensive shot at the bottom, where he placed a high-difficulty top pocket ball that most players would not attempt, but it went straight into the pocket, leaving no room for argument. Trump played exceptionally well.
In the post-match interview, Trump also exclaimed unbelievably, saying that he calmed down when trailing 1-3 and maintained a belief that was close to his peak in such a level of competition. Why is Ding Junhui's mentality so unstable? He cannot concentrate for long periods, why can't he concentrate for long periods? Poor physical fitness always makes him sleepy, why doesn't he exercise and train regularly? No one manages him, and he cannot be self-disciplined. Snooker is essentially a sport, but many Chinese players treat it as a game, thinking that they can dominate the world with just their skills.
Alan lost weight through hard training, becoming both offensive and defensive, improving his results quickly and steadily, and the World Championship title will surely come. Ding Junhui relies on his past achievements and is confident to the point of arrogance, lacking in long-range shots, yet still feeling dissatisfied and stubbornly fighting without playing defensive counterattacks, which leads to normal losses. Of course, Ding Junhui is already very good, isn't being in the top ten strong enough? Life always has ups and downs, and his achievements are already quite high. The main issue is that Ding Junhui could achieve even higher, but whenever it comes to critical moments, he wants to win but fears losing, hesitates, and his mentality becomes evident.
Ding Junhui's ranking has a certain amount of luck and偶然性。After his mother passed away, he began to decline, and it was said that it was due to excessive sadness. Later, every one or two years, he occasionally wins a championship, and people say that the king has returned. Ding Junhui's current level is between 6th and 10th place. Rankings are not made up out of thin air; they truly reflect an athlete's real level.
Initially, Ding Junhui's eyes appeared determined and confident, but later when he was continuously chased, his eyes seemed somewhat at a loss, which is normal. Sometimes people get stunned, and their mentality quickly becomes unstable, rapidly deforming and losing balance. This applies to playing cards, snooker, or any competition or event. Ding Junhui thinks too much while playing, complicating simple shots, often putting himself in a passive situation.
Logically, the older one gets, the more stable their mentality should be, and playing should be more about enjoyment. In the fifth game, Ding Junhui's mentality clearly collapsed, with various missed shots, and it was hard to believe this was the mindset of a top player. In a single match, Ding Junhui might defeat Trump, but over the course of a year, Ding Junhui is certainly not as good as Trump, and the same goes for other Chinese snooker players. Top-ranked players not only have strength but also strong stability, often reaching the semi-finals even if they don't frequently win championships.