Ding Junhui 'Should Have Won' World Title Says White — Can He Still Do It at 39?

White Backs Ding to Still Have What It Takes at the Crucible

Jimmy White isn't pulling his punches. Speaking on TNT Sports ahead of this year's World Snooker Championship, the six-time finalist made clear his belief that Ding Junhui — who begins his 20th consecutive Crucible campaign on Sunday against David Gilbert — has been seriously underserved by fate in Sheffield. "He probably should have done," White said, drawing a pointed parallel with his own career when discussing Ding's failure to land the one title that has always seemed within his grasp.

It's a sentiment that will resonate with anyone who has followed the Chinese star's career closely. Ding arrived at the Crucible as a teenager in 2007, suffering a bruising 10-2 first-round defeat to Ronnie O'Sullivan that told you little about what was to come. Within a few years he had reinvented himself as a genuine world title contender — reaching the semi-finals in 2011 before losing to Judd Trump, and then making his most agonising run of all in 2016 when he came through from the qualifiers all the way to the final, only to be stopped by the immovable Mark Selby. Selby denied him again at the semi-final stage in 2017, and since that pair of near-misses Ding's Crucible record has faded considerably, with no quarter-final appearance to his name since 2018.

A Career That Deserved More from Sheffield

The numbers elsewhere tell the story of a player who belongs in any conversation about the greatest of his generation. A former world number one, 15 ranking titles including three UK Championships, and a Masters crown — Ding has done almost everything the sport has to offer. For a long stretch he carried the weight of an entire nation's expectations as snooker exploded in popularity across China, widely assumed to be the man who would become the first Chinese world champion. In the end, that particular piece of history went to Zhao Xintong last year. It is one of the sport's more bittersweet footnotes.

White, though, is not writing off Ding's chances just yet. "He is still capable, he still scores heavily, and he still has the game," the Whirlwind insisted. White also highlighted just how deeply embedded Ding has become in Sheffield life — living and working in the city, running an academy that has become a cornerstone of Chinese snooker's development. "All the Chinese players either play in Ding's or Victoria's academy," White noted. "They come here to do their hard work and most of them live here now." In that sense, Ding's legacy in Sheffield is already secure, whatever happens at the Crucible this fortnight.

The Betting Angle: Ding vs Gilbert — Is There Value?

Ding enters this year's tournament as the 16th seed, which tells its own story about a difficult recent run of form. His first-round match against David Gilbert is, on paper, a winnable contest, but punters should approach with measured expectations rather than blind faith in the player White is championing.

The Pick: Ding Junhui to win the first-round match vs David Gilbert.

The Analysis: Gilbert is a solid professional but has never truly threatened at the Crucible's latter stages. Ding, even at less than his peak, retains the class and big-match experience to come through a first-round tie. White's point about Ding still scoring heavily is relevant here — if he gets his long game clicking at the Crucible, Gilbert will have no answer. That said, Ding's inconsistency over the past few seasons is a genuine concern, and at 16th seed he arrives without the form lines to inspire maximum confidence.

The Odds:

Odds correct at time of writing and subject to change. Shop around on the match winner market — there are marginal differences between firms that are worth exploiting on a short-priced favourite.

For tournament outright purposes, Ding is available at big prices to lift the trophy given his current seeding and form. The sentiment from White is touching, but the cold reality is that Ding hasn't been past the last eight since 2018. Back him in the match market if you fancy him this week, but the each-way World Championship punt feels like a step too far at this stage of his career — however much we'd love to see it happen.

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