28 November 2023 , 11:50
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Luca Brecel has admitted to spending a fortune on supercars to put himself under pressure again.
Brecel, who won his maiden World Snooker Championship at the Crucible in May, has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds since picking up his £250,000 pay cheque. The 28-year-old Belgian is no longer a millionaire as a result of splashing the cash.
His bold decision to take a hammer to his savings pot was a conscious one, as he wants to put himself under pressure to recuperate the cash by winning ranking tournaments. He hasn't reached the final of another ranking tournament since his world title.
Brecel is hoping to end that run at the ongoing UK Championship in York. The tournament is one of the biggest prizes in professional snooker, as it's considered as part of the sport's Triple Crown along with the World Snooker Championship and the Masters.
Brecel, who lost to Zhao Xintong in the final of the UK Championship two years ago, has a good chance of progressing after beating the No.43 seed Yuan Sijun in the opening round. The No.2 seed will face Zhang Anda (No.15 seed) in the second round.
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Each round victory at the UK Championship will help Brecel's bank balance. As quoted by The Sun, the world champion admitted: "I bought two more cars this week, so I went from a millionaire to a non-millionaire.
"It was a conscious decision to buy the cars and maybe feel that bit of pressure again, to recreate the feeling I had of just starting my career... I didn’t go lazy, but I just didn’t feel that hunger or motivation going from tournament to tournament.
Brecel won the World Snooker Championship in May (Getty Images)If you were a millionaire, what would you spent your money on? Let us know in the comments below!
"I don’t like that feeling and I had to change something. I wasn’t feeling any pressure any more. I was just playing and if I lost I was happy to be home. It’s not a good mindset to have... I’m still young and I feel like one day I’m going to get to number one anyway."
Brecel's outstanding performances at the Crucible earlier this year suggests he's got a bright future in snooker. He defeated former multiple champions Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby on his way to winning the World Snooker Championship.
Brecel has won four ranking tournaments to date, including his world title. He won the China Championship in 2017 by beating 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy in the final. He then won the Scottish Open in 2021 with a 9-5 final victory against John Higgins.
Beating Higgins, a four-time world champion and the home favourite, was a big triumph. Brecel added another ranking title to his collection by beating Lu Ning in the Champions League final in 2022 before losing to Selby in the English Open final later that year.