After 29th World Title, Pankaj Advani Reveals Why Novak Djokovic Inspires Him At 41

Fresh off a remarkable 29th world title, India's cue sports legend Pankaj Advani says he draws inspiration from tennis great Novak Djokovic, who continues to compete at the highest level despite spending more than two decades on the professional circuit. In an interview with PTI after winning the WBL World Billiards Championship in Birmingham, Advani spoke about his relentless pursuit of excellence, the satisfaction of winning a major billiards title after two years, and the hard work that went into triumphing in a field packed with former world champions. "For those who haven't been following my journey very closely, this is a very special victory. And it comes against the very best players in the world.

"If someone had to see the lineup of players in this event, they would find former world champions and current players in top form from England and around the world. It was a very competitive and challenging field," said Advani.

The former champions he defeated on his way to the title included compatriot Sourav Kothari, as well as David Causier and Robert Hall.

"As far as consistency is concerned, I've always tried to achieve that. Sometimes the results reflect it, sometimes they don't. But my work ethic remains the same," he said.

"I feel this time I worked a little harder than usual because I was highly determined and motivated to get back to the very top," Advani added in an online interview from Sheffield, where he is preparing for the upcoming World Snooker Championship in Indore.

Reflecting on his campaign, Advani said his toughest match came in the pre-quarterfinal against Ireland's Christian Kirk.

"Fortunately, I won the match in the final 30 seconds, but it was extremely close. I think that gave me a wake-up call to raise my level," he said.

Wants To Work Smart Like Djokovic

Following Roger Federer's retirement, Advani says he looks to Djokovic for inspiration as the Serbian continues to challenge players nearly half his age.

"I would say Djokovic is the epitome of consistency. His career has spanned almost two decades and he continues to be there in the business end of tournaments," said Advani while praising the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

"But both Federer and Djokovic have had amazing, illustrious and long careers. It ultimately comes down to how much you want it. If you truly want something, I believe you can achieve it if you work in the right direction, not just hard but also smart. I think that's what they've done throughout their careers."

Advani believes he is fitter than ever after working extensively on both his mental and physical conditioning over the past year to meet the contrasting demands of billiards and snooker.

"They are two completely different cue sports played on the same table. I've realised that each sport requires a different approach. In billiards, it's about prolonged concentration and building stamina, and that's exactly what I've worked on.

"I've been practising for four to five hours every day over the last month. I've hardly played billiards in the last two years, and I felt the results were not what I expected. That's why I approached this tournament differently, prepared methodically and put in the hours.

"As far as snooker is concerned, I've played much more of it in the last couple of years, so it comes more naturally to me at the moment. This championship was a true test of stamina and endurance, and I think I passed that test with flying colours."

Advani also credited his coach Arvind Savur and elder brother Shree Advani, a sports psychologist, for continuing to push him towards improvement.

"Both still push me to become a better player," he said.

More than 20 years after winning his first world title, Advani continues to collect global trophies with remarkable consistency. However, he said the journey has been far from straightforward.

"Honestly, I know how tough my journey has been. I've had rough patches. I've gone years without winning anything major. Some losses have been difficult to accept and some victories have come out of nowhere.

"So I've seen it all in my career. It does feel a bit strange that when someone scores a century in cricket, it's celebrated, and if that person keeps breaking records, people remain excited."

Advani hopes that sports beyond cricket will continue to grow in popularity and eventually receive similar recognition.

"I feel the journeys of athletes who have excelled over long periods, irrespective of whether they've won Olympic medals or not, deserve to be celebrated.

"Whether it is their consistency over five, 10 or 15 years, those are the athletes who should be celebrated and cherished in the same way our cricketers are," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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