Pankaj Advani interivew: "Greatness means being able to carry a sport forward from one era to the next"

If one were to enter Pankaj Advani‘s house, one would likely find it filled with medals and awards. That’s because, at the age of 27, Advani has pretty much conquered the world of billiards. To name a few of his achievements, he has won seven World Titles in Billiards and Snooker, gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games and the Asian Billiards Championship (a record 5 times). He is, without a doubt, one of the best sportsmen India has ever produced. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda correspondent Taruka Srivastav, Advani spoke about his career and interests.

Q. When did you realise you wanted to start playing billiards professionally?

Advani: Right after I won the Junior Billiards National Title in the year 2000. The moment I got my first taste of success in billiards, I wanted more.

Q. What are the challenges that a person playing billiards in India faces?

Advani: I believe that one of the biggest stumbling blocks is the fact that not everyone is aware of the rules of the game and the scoring system even though it is pretty simple. Obviously there is room for improvement in the promotion and marketing of cue sports in the country.

Q. Billiards is an emotionally draining sport. How do you manage to compete with the same spirit even after having spent over 15 years in the professional arena?

Advani: Billiards is only one of the two sports that I play, so it takes up 50% of my time. I play snooker too, so you can only imagine how tough it must be! (smiles) I have a burning fervor for both games, and when you are doing something out of passion, it fuels your energy and keeps you going!

Q. Do you think you are good at playing trick shots? Have you ever participated in a trick shot event?

Advani: I have a few tricks up my sleeve and do know a few shots, but I have never participated in a trick shot event. Right now my plate is full competing professionally in both billiards and snooker.

Q. Which do you prefer playing more – billiards or snooker? Which of the two would you say you are better at?

Advani: I am not in a position to pick favourites; I love both sports for different reasons. Billiards holds a wider range of possibilities in terms of the different types of shots and ways of break-building. Snooker on the other hand is fascinating because of the high quality of competition around, especially in the UK, where I am currently.

Q. Some people claim that billiards/snooker does not require much athleticism or the traditional sporting attributes like power, speed, etc. What would you have to say in response to such statements?

Advani: These claims are true for any sport that is played recreationally. Once you play a sport professionally, both physical and mental training is very important. In fact, I work out 4-5 times a week, where I focus on strengthening of my back, legs, core, flexibility, stability and endurance. All of this is very essential to last long in matches and to ensure optimum focus.

Q. Sportsmen have their role models, and you must have yours too, even among the players that you compete with. How do you find the motivation to defeat your own role models?

Advani: My one and only role model has been my coach Arvind Savur. He has not only been my coach but is also my mentor and a father figure to me. There came a time when I started beating him consistently, and that’s when he told me I am ready to take on the world!

Q. What does greatness in sports mean to you? Do you think a player can be considered ‘great’ only if he takes the game to an altogether new level, or will he be called great even if he just maintains the standards and benchmarks achieved by past champions?

Advani: Some feel figures and records sum up greatness. I feel it is a lot more than that. To me greatness means being able to carry a sport forward from one era to the next, making it bigger and popularizing the sport through one’s achievements and personality.