Few would be surprised if Ronnie O'Sullivan walked away from the Crucible Theatre with a sixth world title.
Even the man himself is considering the idea.
His last victory in Sheffield came in 2013, famously after a year off from competitive snooker, and he hasn't been beyond the quarter-finals in the past four tournaments.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is the favourite to win this year's World Championship at the Crucible
O'Sullivan, 43, is favourite after a season which has included victories at the UK Championship, Players Championship, Tour Championship, Shanghai Masters and Champion of Champions.
'I've been surprised I've won as much as I have. I've won 50 per cent of the events I've played in, without playing brilliantly. I've played steady but shows you don't need to play brilliantly to win tournaments,' he told Eurosport.
'I think my B Game is pretty strong, so as long as I play steady and consistent, and don't make too many unforced errors I've always got a chance.'
The current world No 1 has won the tournament five times and it two behind Stephen Hendry
In the past six months O'Sullivan has taken his Triple Crown tally to 19, levelled Stephen Hendry on 36 ranking titles and became the first man to make 1,000 century breaks.
And for the first time since 2010, he is also No 1 in the world, and arguably the greatest of all time.
'It's hard to argue against that in many ways, my record speaks for itself,' he said. 'I have every record barring the seven world titles. I think the thing for me is that I've done it in an aggressive, attacking and flamboyant way if you like, and to get results playing that style is never easy.'
But O'Sullivan picks and chooses where he plays and is more concerned with winning silverware than being recognised at the best in the world.
'If I was driven by No 1, then I would play more events to give myself a realistic chance of getting
