has revealed that he continued to practice four times per week when he was serving his suspension for violating betting and match-fixing rules. The winner was sidelined for 20 months after being caught up in the 2023 scandal along with nine other Chinese players.

Zhao did not directly fix a match himself, but he did accept the charges of being party to another player who fixed two matches and placed bets on matches.

The 28-year-old returned from his suspension in style though, becoming the first Chinese player to win the tournament and first qualifier to win at the Crucible on Monday when cruising to victory over Mark Williams in the final. Reflecting on his success, Zhao spoke about how he worked hard behind the scenes to ensure that he could hit the ground running after his ban.

He told : "It was a very hard time but I kept practising four times a week so that when I came back I would be a better player. I think, when I did, mentally I was much stronger than before. I'm definitely stronger than two years ago. It has been helpful for my career."

Victoria Shi, his manager, added: "I told him, 'You didn't kill anyone, you didn't lose your arms and legs. You made the biggest mistake of your life, so learn from it and it will make you a stronger person. Benefit.'"

Zhao's victory is expected to spearhead a wave of success for Chinese snooker and he hopes to pave the way for his compatriots. He explained: "I can feel that my life is about to change.

"It changed a little after I won the UK Championship [in 2021] but I think this is very different because the World Championship is the most important one. No Asian person has done this before. It's a huge moment for my career."

Shi also believes that her client's victory will have a major impact on Chinese snooker players, saying: "Chinese people work hard. I'm sure the next generation will be inspired by him because he plays such good snooker and looks so good. There will be many more Chinese champions in future because of this. Too many."