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Dominic
on... the World Championship
With the World Championship you need to prepare as much for the atmosphere as
anything  |
It's obviously
very exciting. Everyone in Sheffield is mad keen on the World Championship and
the atmosphere at the Crucible is always electric - you can feel the tension as
soon as you walk out there. I
can't wait to get out there and feel that buzz again - it's brilliant.
Dominic
on... playing Mark Williams (first-round
opponent) Mark
is suffering a little bit on confidence at the moment, he's lost a few matches
that he won't be happy about and I did manage to beat him at the Regal Welsh Open
in January, so I'll go into the match with a good attitude. I
need to keep Mark under pressure and I'll have to play well to do that. Mark is
the reigning champion so it's going to be tough but everybody likes an underdog
and I feel I'm playing well enough to cause a few upsets.
Dominic
on... playing at the Crucible It's
important to go and play as you normally do, but with the World Championship you
need to prepare as much for the atmosphere as anything.
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| There's no
hiding place once you step out from behind the Crucible curtain |
You've
got to be aware that when you go out there through the curtain it's going to be
some atmosphere to savour and if you're not ready for that you're going to struggle. The
intimacy of the place is what marks the Crucible out as different from other tournaments
you play in. It's
pretty small in there but the real atmosphere comes from the fact it's absolutely
packed from day one and the spectators are really close to the action - you really
feel watched. You're
also sitting right next to your opponent, which is different to other tournaments,
but probably the biggest thing to cope with is having another match going on next
to you in the early rounds. You
can be down on a shot and there can be a round of applause from the other table
which can be very off-putting. It's
very important when this happens to get up off the shot and recompose yourself
because the applause can make you miss a shot - it's happened to me in the past
and I've seen it happen to other players.
Dominic
on... Sheffield If
you win your first match there is a gap of a few days until your next match so
you need to get out for a couple nights to relax and enjoy yourself. I like
to go out for meals in Sheffield - I like a bit of Italian food and a bit of steak
and a glass of wine. Nightclubs…
they're always good! If I had a good three or four days off I could go clubbing
one night - that wouldn't hurt! But
if I had a match say, on the Friday, I wouldn't go out any later than a Tuesday
night because it could affect your preparations. Dominic
on... the joy of song
I
like Roy Orbison - and I know most of Roy's songs back to front. It's
through Roy that I got into opera and I trained as a singer for about 18 months.
I always get asked to sing in tournaments and I sang at a tournament in Ireland
recently which went down very well. If
I were to win the World Championship I'll be singing anything I can tell you! Dominic
on... superstitions
I
don't have any superstitions - I think you've got a slight mental weakness in
your game if you have superstitions. It
doesn't make any difference what colour shoes you are wearing or if you've got
a favourite shirt - but there have been a number of players over the years who
have had superstitions. Dominic
on... having a fantasy £10 bet on the winner of the Championship
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| Dominic thinks
Ken Doherty could do well | It's
a tough one because a lot of players started the season in tremendous fashion
but are now struggling. Stephen
Hendry started well as did Matthew Stevens but both are struggling a bit. Someone
like John Higgins could be dangerous as could Ken Doherty, who has had a terrible
season but has improved recently. The
big boys are always a threat when it comes to this tournament - they come into
their own from the quarter-final stage onwards. In
the World Championship you are always looking for one of the bigger names to come
through and win it. Liked
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