Mark Allen believes there is still plenty of room for improvement in his game and is determined to remain on top of the world rankings for an extended period.
The Northern Irishman goes into the 2024/25 season as world number one for the first time, joining Cliff Thorburn, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, Judd Trump and Ding Junhui in the elite group of players to have topped the rankings. Allen has won six titles over the past two seasons, and despite a second round defeat against John Higgins at the Crucible in April, he was guaranteed the number one spot once Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump were knocked out at the quarter-final stage.
"The rankings don't lie, over the last two years I have been the most consistent player," said the 38-year-old. "It's up to me now to go out there and prove I am the best player in the world. It was anti-climatic, sitting at home and getting the world number one spot that way, I would much rather have been out there winning a match. But the big positive for me is that I feel I still have a lot of improvements to make in my game, and if I can do that then hopefully I can stay on top for a long time. I need to be ultra-consistent year on year, that's what all the greats have done.
"I started with two career goals, that was to be world number one and World Champion. I have crossed one of those off, and it is up to me to keep working hard to achieve the other. To be number one is something I will always remember, only 11 other players have ever done it. I started playing when I was 12, and everything I have learned, good and bad, have all made me the person I am now and the person that has become world number one."
Allen is based at Antrim Sports Club, which is also home to former Welsh Open champion Jordan Brown and current European Champion Robbie McGuigan, a promising 19-year-old who is looking ahead to his first season on tour.
"We are a very close knit community," Allen added. "We are ultra competitive, but we want to see each other do well. The camaraderie is really good, there is no jealously whatsoever. It's great for me and Jordan to have Robbie as a new pro because he's going to be buzzing coming into the new season and hopefully that will rekindle memories for us of how exciting that is."
Watch the full in-depth interview with Allen below...
