‘Disappointed on snooker not being in Olympics’

With 10 billiards world titles, the tag of India’s ‘Golden Boy’ is just apt for the Bengaluru-based cueist. In the city for the seventh edition of the Tamil Nadu versus Karnataka snooker friendly tournament, Advani opened up on the Olympics, the 6-Red format and much more.

On snooker not being a part of the Olympics: I feel there is a lot of lobbying going around for the sport to be included. I am a little disappointed but the Olympics is not the be-all and endall. If you ask a Rory McIllroy, he would prefer winning a Masters or a Major. It is a quadrennial event and we have a lot to focus on in terms of big yearly tournaments. However, it doesn’t mean the Olympics is a less significant event.

On the expectations on winning titles: A six-month gap without a title, feels like I have not won anything for an eternity for people. There is no dearth of expectations from me. As much as I want to keep winning, I cannot as I am a human after-all. A loss sometimes is a good wake up call.

On the 6-Red format: I prefer this format: The matches get over in one hour. The attention span of people is getting less and that’s why the shorter format takes precedence. As a player, one always needs to be switched on and it poses a good challenge to your abilities. The 6-Red is the way forward for Indian snooker.

On taking the sport to the grassroots: I think we can do better in the broadcast medium. We need to make the sport more consumer friendly. The Indian Snooker League that is coming up in August would be a good chance to introduce the sport to the grassroots.