World snooker champion Kyren Wilson has vowed to finally end the Crucible curse and win back-to-back titles.

No first-time winner of the World Snooker Championship has retained their crown the following year at Sheffield’s famous theatre. But Wilson, 33, wants to make history in May by lifting the trophy.

Only two men have come close to breaking the hoodoo, Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998. Both players lost in the final 12 months after their first wins.

Despite losing the Masters title to Shaun Murphy earlier this month, Wilson believes that he’s ready to break the jinx. Ahead of beating Hong Kong’s Cheung Ka Wai 5-3 at the German Masters in Berlin on Monday, the reigning Crucible champion said: “My game is in fantastic shape.

“I have kicked on since becoming a world champion. I haven’t let it burden me. I have used it to inspire me. I like to think there are many more trophies to come. I will give it my all. I will win the Worlds. I did not play well at the Masters. I was stuck in second or third gear all week. I’m capable of a hell of a lot more.

“I’ve got this inner steel. I love playing at the Crucible. It suits my game, it suits my personality. I know how tough it is to win a world championship. But a lot of players go missing after winning it. I feel like it has inspired me, it has made me push my chest out a little bit at events. It has given me that inner confidence.”

Wilson also said at the start of this month: “Nobody has won it for the first time and defended their title. So, that’s definitely right up there with something I would like to try to achieve. I’d love to reach world No.1, too. I was one game away at the Saudi Arabia Masters from reaching it. I was this close, but, I’m sure it will come.”

Will Kyren Wilson win this year’s World Snooker Championship? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

The 33-year-old went on to say: “I want to keep doing that; the winning feeling is a feeling like no other, the elation of lifting that trophy at the end of the tournament, I crave that feeling. Taking a trophy home to my children makes me want to work and practise harder.”

For now, Wilson’s focus is on triumphing in Berlin, where he’s won three of his eight ranking titles. “It’s one of my favourite tournaments,” he added. “It has a similar vibe to Ally Pally when it gets to the one-table setup.”

Defending Berlin champion Judd Trump also made it through on Monday, beating David Grace 5-2.

Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories