The 2023/24 season was by far the rest of Zhang Anda's career as he won his first ranking title at the International Championship, broke into the top 16 for the first time and was named Breakthrough Player of the Year. The Chinese ace looks back on his landmark success and describes the importance of a postive mentality.
Zhang, what have you been doing since the end of last season?
I have kept a busy schedule, doing a lot of exhibitions and invitational activities. I had two weeks with my family, but since then I have been away from home. I visited Chengdu, Kunshan, Wuhan, Lhasa, Chongqing and Urumqi. It feels good to be busy and it's heart-warming to see a lot of fans supporting me. I felt like saying ‘yes’ to all requests and tried to be professional. I'm a lot busier compared to this time last year. But soon I’m going home for a month and I’ll be practising to be ready for the Shanghai Masters.
You must be excited to have a place in the Shanghai event?
Yes - I haven't played there since it became an invitational tournament. It’s an elite event, all the players in the field are tough and every match is full of anticipation. It’s great to be in events like this, it’s a precious opportunity.
Do you have any goals for the new season?
I'd like to stay in the top 16. I can't imagine it being as good as my previous season, but I'll definitely try to do better in each tournament. Nobody knows if there's another trophy in line but I'll focus on my game and try to make progress.
How can you explain your success last season?
It's all about mindset. I felt peaceful in my mind during the events where I did well. I managed to stay calm and didn’t worry about the outcome of each match. In other words, I was able to immerse myself in those scenarios. At the International Championship and the Players Championship (where he was runner-up to Mark Allen) I had no distracting thoughts, I only thought about what's on the table. I was playing my natural game. I don't want to be under pressure in the new season so perhaps 'no target' is the best strategy. But I'll have a positive mindset at every tournament.
After such a good season, it must have been disappointing to lose to Jak Jones in the first round of the World Championship.
I was out of sorts at the Crucible. I felt a lot of pressure, and let the wrong thoughts creep in. There was extra expectation because I was a top 16 player for the first time, I was supposed to play to a certain standard. That's when the useless thoughts kicked in. When your game goes from bad to worse you feel impatient, even irritable. You forget to think about what's on the table and those thoughts became distractions. Everyone was watching, it was the end of a brilliant season, I was a seeded player – these were all distractions. I was over-cautious and afraid of missing shots. I think that's exactly why I didn't do well in the first ten years of my career. Nobody can help you out there with the negative thoughts. Then suddenly there's this one week where you are able to cope with everything in a perfectly peaceful mindset. Maybe it’s more difficult when you are young.
So with more experience you are able to control your emotions more?
I've learned my lesson. Some of the things you want the most, those are the most difficult things to get. But you can't stop wanting these things, nor can you just let it slide. You can't stop trying to win. But it's better to just concentrate on the shots, on what's on the table, not the result. And enjoy the process of treating every moment the correct way. You will get good results if you can do it that way.
John Higgins is your favourite player – did you watch his 13-12 victory over Mark Allen at the Crucible?
There's no way to stop me watching that deciding frame live! I got very excited. It was an awesome moment and that's why he's my favourite player. Mark Williams and Ronnie O'Sullivan keep winning tournaments and I genuinely hope that John can do the same. He actually had a good season with a lot of semi-final and quarter-final finishes, but it would be great if he can win titles again. He was in Chengdu last month and we did exhibitions together, I was very happy to be involved with his birthday celebrations. He seemed to know that I idolized him and learned the game by watching videos of his matches.