Ding:feel like not wanting to play

[moondan]

At the start of this season I was wondering how many titles he was going to win,I thought he was nailed on for the worlds.
Its hard to find an arguement against whats already been said, but I will try.
I think the pressure did get to him because some of his shot selection was hard to understand and that is classic symptons of pressure, on the plus side he potted some unbelievable balls and his opponent must deserve credit for playing out of his skin early doors.
Ding did not play well in his first round match and he knew it so the last thing he needed was a guy to stick in 2 centuries in the first 3 frames, you have to remember that this was his home tournament, the expectation on him is huge
and recent history has not been kind.
Sure he has lost but not disgraced and this could just work in his favour. He now goes to the worlds with half the pressure and expectation, most people will not believe he can beat Ronnie, and the pressure will all be on him.
Dont forget you knock these fabulous touch players just slightly off and they can look very ordinary.
I still dont think its a walk in the park for Ronnie and I will still be backing Ding. He started off the season really well and he still has an opportunity to finish it well. It took Hendry 5 years to become the indistructable force he became, how long has it been for Ding, 3 seasons ? I dont think you can dismiss this guy under any circumstances and Ronnie wont read too much into it.
Snookers a funny old game.

[Black_cat]

I think it's fair to say all professional sportsmen go through similar things. All of us do. We all reach our saturation limit sometimes and it depends on us and on our loved ones being supportive if we're meant to get over it.
Ding's been called the best thing in snooker since the hook rest . When he dispatched one worthy opponent after another he was deemed to be a snooker machine, labelled Mr. No Personality by some and even detested by others because of it.
He's now showing yet again he is human, after all. A young man going through a rougher patch in his career. We've all been there, done that, some even got the t-shirt , albeit not in such a public manner. It's up to him and those who care about him, as I have said.
I hope he'll bounce back and give us an entertaining match at Sheffield (although I don't think it will be a surprise for anyone who knows BC a little that I want a certain result in that match ) and I can't wait for the next season to start, one of the reasons being he is not going to play any top-16 names in the first round anymore.

[Nina]

I may be the only one, but when I read Ding's statements I drew different conclusions from most people here (or all?)

To begin with, he didn't cry yesterday. Secondly, the statement " i feel like not wanting to play..." was a response to " do you feel mentally unsettled always?" which only showed me that he is a real talent and a perfectionist.
Think of an actor before the curtain opens, or a singer before stepping on the stage. A real professional and conscious performer will feel like running away at the speed of light before "making a fool of himself". Real talents are too hard on themselves, feel they are underachieving when the whole world stares in awe, probably because they see so much more potential in themselves... But like someone already mentioned, when he is playing, you can tell he is happy. He loves what he does, or he wouldn't take all the pressure. He'd just give up snooker and go to university or something, he is in the right age after all!

It is also my humble opinion that Ding is not another Ronnie. It is unfair to him to be labelled this way - almost as unfair as saying he has no personality. I don't see why everyone has to wear their hearts on their sleeve, he has the right to be private and even detached if that's what he's like. He isn't in the game to be judged by his character, is he?! Like nobody else is.

[Wim]

""He isn't in the game to be judged by his character, is he?! Like nobody else is"".

hmm the day he was outplayed by Osullivan at the masters he started to cry; losing is part of the game and childish behaviour isn't...

[elvaago]

He started to cry because he was being booed by a couple of hundred people. Not many 19 year olds would not have cried. I commend Ding for doing it, not a lot of men are would show emotion like that. It takes a real man to cry.

[Maija]

Please, people! We've had this "discussion" about men and crying before. Let's just let go of it, eh? Or take it to PMs, if it is that essential? (Just a friendly request.)

[Ellena]

Ding seems to be taking on some of the worst sides of Ronnie. Feeling like not wanting to play now, after apparently trying to concede early in the Masters.

He has had a very bad run recently. Questions are increasingly being asked about his temperament. I guess he will get over it. After all the sacrifices and hard work he has put in to develop his talent it would be a tragic waste if he was to mentally burn out so soon.

All this talk of Ding domination must be a hell of a lot for the kid to live up to. No wonder hes having a bad patch.

I agree with this 100%.
Tough times for Ding but he'll be fine , IMO. Lot of time and hard work he put in ,and i believe the results he got is not exactly what he expected , guess he has the feeling his game is not working anymore , that he disappointed his fans ..and stuff, but he will grow to learn this is only temporary , and sun will shine for him pretty soon.
In all sportsmen career are bitter moments like these, it's not all glory and fame. He is "big enough and ugly enough to cope with them all" ( to quote Ronnie )

[RocketRonnieFan]

Ding is a perfectionist and wants to win every game, the emotions he is showing are proof of that, and if this is his way of getting it off his chest then so be it

He is only young and will I'm sure be in the game for a long time to come, he is just finding it hard to adjust to the commitments that he has which anyone at that age would find hard

As for crying that to me shows that the passion is there and his desire to win is second to none, if he isn't winning it hurts him, it's not being childish it's him showing his emotions