'I'd run the M4 naked' - Williams targets snooker history

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"I'm still fighting", says three-time world champion Mark Williams

"I'd run down the M4 from London to Cardiff naked."

That's how desperate Mark Williams is to win a fourth world title. It's a bold statement but he is a man of his word.

When he last triumphed at the Crucible in 2018, he fulfilled a similar pre-tournament pledge to strip off in front of the world's media.

Williams beat John Higgins 17-15 in the final, adding to previous titles in 2000 and 2003, and appeared naked at his post-match press conference.

"I'd do anything to get another title but the years go by and you're less likely to win it," he said prior to this year's event.

If he was to win, he would not only likely cause traffic chaos on the motorway but surpass Ronnie O'Sullivan as the oldest ever world champion.

The 51-year-old from the small south Wales village of Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, came agonisingly close to achieving that milestone last year.

The oldest ever finalist, he was eventually beaten 18-12 by Zhao Xintong who himself made history as the first Chinese, and Asian, world champion.

Health issues

Williams reached the final despite his deteriorating eyesight for which he is awaiting lens replacement surgery.

"If it goes wrong, that's the end. That's the only thing stopping me. I spoke to [former player] Anthony Hamilton, who also had it done, and because of the glare of the TV lights, it ruined his career," said Williams.

"Eventually I'll get my eyes done but whether or not that's this year, next year, I don't know."

As well as an unusual fear of teabags, Williams also revealed after the Tour Championship in Manchester earlier this year he had been struggling with yips - a sudden and unexplained loss of ability to execute certain skills.

"It's a bit concerning. I'm like a paranoid mess at the minute, because I'm just thinking, I'm not going to screw it back, and I'm snatching. And yeah, it's not great, but I need the practise to get out of it," added Williams.

"I'm not putting in enough work. I'm going to come in now and try and play most days until the world championship just to try and get that timing back."