World champion Luca Brecel has had an jealousy-inducing time (Picture: Getty Images)
Luca Brecel enjoyed himself as world champion, there is no question about that, but he is back at the Crucible and hungry to retain the title he won in stunning style 12 months ago.
The Belgian Bullet shocked the world last year as he downed the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams on his way to the Crucible final where he slayed Mark Selby to get his hands on the trophy.
He did all that with little practice, driving back to Belgium between matches and certainly not abstaining from alcoholic temptations throughout the tournament.
His romp to the world title seemed like one big party and the Brecel-led conga line snaked out of Sheffield and went on to circle the globe as he went on an epic holiday with his girlfriend, Laura.
On 30 August last year, just shy of four months after his Crucible glory, he posted on Instagram: ‘We’ve traveled to 14 countries in 4 months and had the best time.. but the good thing is that it doesn’t matter where we are or what we do, all we need & want is each other!’
It’s lovely stuff, it really is. 28 years old at the time, just won half a million quid and travelling the world with his new girlfriend. As John Virgo might shout after watching a total clearance before cutting back to the studio: ‘Tremendous!’
Asked for the highlights of his globe-trotting, Brecel did note that he did pick up a cue every so often.
‘So many [highlights]. Not all of the travel was holiday,’ he said. ‘A lot of those were exhibitions. I played an exhibition in Hong Kong, in the USA, then we went to Canada as well. I think the USA and the Canada part was the best bit of last year. Amazing countries and we had a great time.
‘We really enjoyed it. I really like it when you go on a holiday, but it is also an exhibition, and you can do other things. It was a really nice year and I am really lucky for that.’
Brecel was still riding high when he returned to the table in August at the European Masters. He may have lost in the last 16 to Barry Hawkins, but given that his cue had been lost before the event, a deciding frame defeat to the Hawk was no disgrace.
He then beat Mark Williams, Rob Milkins and Neil Robertson before narrowly losing the final of the Shanghai Masters to Ronnie O’Sullivan, so everything was absolutely fine on and off the table.
But then his form started to dry up. The tap he had turned on and saw brilliance gush out of in Sheffield was closing and the flow was quickly reducing to a drip.
Mid-season was a sticky time for Brecel (Picture: Getty Images)
A last 16 in the English Open in October was okay, but there wasn’t much impression made at any tournament from then until the Welsh Open in February and frustration was setting in.
Before his Masters opener against Jack Lisowski in January he told Eurosport: ‘I’m a bit negative, a bit low on confidence. I just need something to change my season around, it hasn’t been happening yet.’
After a 6-2 defeat he said: ‘Yeah, terrible, if I keep playing like this you’ll see me in Q School 2025.’
The world champion was not ready to let his season dribble away, though, and he set to work, firstly by shedding some of the weight that his four-month holiday had inevitably picked up.
‘I needed to work a bit on my fitness,’ he said last month. ‘I have lost some weight. I feel much better. I think it was the change I needed to play well again and I feel like now the sky’s the limit.
‘I still felt okay. I was just eating too much obviously. The problem is I love running and when you have too much weight, you are not able to run. I was starting to miss it. I remember when I used to lose a game, I used to go home and it was time to run again. But I didn’t have that when I got back. I needed that in my life.’
His form did turn around pretty quickly after a re-focus on fitness, with a quarter-final at the Welsh followed by the final of the World Masters of Snooker in Riyadh and then winning the World Mixed Doubles.
During that run in Saudi Arabia he said: ‘I’m really close to that level I was last year. It’s great to have my confidence back and play with fun again. Yeah, I feel really good.’
He added in Manchester on his way to Mixed Doubles glory with Reanne Evans: ‘I think I’m completely back, that’s the way I feel. Maybe even better in some aspects, yeah, feeling good.’
Brecel and Evans had the winning feeling at the Mixed Doubles (Picture: WST)
Brecel is now back in Sheffield looking to defend his world title and, as a result of having a blast, is arriving with an inconsistent season behind him but would he do anything differently with hindsight?
‘Not really,’ he said. ‘To be honest, the reason why I haven’t played so well this season is just because I didn’t want to go to tournaments. It’s not been a lack of practice, it’s not been anything else. It’s just no hunger this season.
‘I feel like I have got that back now since a couple of months. It’s even more than before, so I think it’s a good thing. The bad season maybe helps me for the next five to 10 seasons because I never want to be the same again. I am in a much better place now than I used to be.’
The World Championship win came at an unexpected time for Brecel, but it was still a life goal completed and once the mountain had been scaled, the drive to do so again faded.
‘Yeah, that’s how I felt in the beginning, absolutely,’ he said. ‘It’s totally different now. Now my goal is to win it again. That is a good mindset to have.
Brecel had to battle to get the drive back after reaching the pinnacle (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Obviously it is a difficult one to win again. But everything I do in my life now, it is to try and become a better player, to become more in control on the table. I am really hungry – literally as well because I’m on a diet. But I am really looking forward to the coming seasons. I feel like I could do really well if I keep the same mindset.’
The Bullet’s mindset is one of his most potent weapons, incredibly difficult for his feathers to be ruffled.
Asked if he ever feels his nerves jangling, he said: ‘Sometimes, but only when you’re really deep in the tournament and you get a great chance to clear up or something.
‘But apart from that, I struggle to find a reason why players get really nervous at the beginning of games or early in the tournament because that’s just the way I think.
‘Everyone’s different, I can understand that but I say how I feel. If I felt pressure every single frame I would say that. So, no not really. I just enjoy it.
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‘You can look at our job negatively or positively. We have a good job. We love playing, going around he world, all is good. One game, one tournament doesn’t change your life, it’s all about keeping the same mindset all the way through your career.’
The 29-year-old will stroll back into the Crucible on Saturday to begin the defence of his title against Dave Gilbert and Laura will be supporting him as she was 12 months ago, maybe thankful that they are back at a big event.
‘I remember the first tournament I played after winning the Worlds, that was the European Masters, we arrived at the venue and my girlfriend was like “where’s the dressing room”,’ Luca said.
‘I was like, “that is only at the World Championship”. The first tournament she saw was me winning the World Championship! So what a start to a relationship.
‘We have had a great time. We also just really enjoy being at home. We love our little life, so it’s fantastic.’
The Bullet has certainly done everything his way this year and whatever happens at the Crucible this time around, you feel like the sentiment will remain the same: ‘We love our little life, so it’s fantastic.’
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