Doherty: Tough

You can't look much further than Ronnie O'Sullivan for the winner of the World Championships, but he's got a few major banana skins in his way if he wants to lift the trophy again.

The way the draw's worked out it looks as if he might face Peter Ebdon in the quarter-finals, followed by either Mark Selby or John Higgins in the semis - and any one of them could beat Ronnie on their day.

The bottom of the half does look slightly easier - and I don't mean any disrespect by that, though, because there are still plenty of good players in it. Neil Robertson and Ali Carter are excellent players, but I'd expect experience to tell and Shaun Murphy to meet Stephen Maguire in the other final.

I have to say, though, that it'll be tough for me being there. For all the good memories I have of the Crucible, the overwhelming feeling I have at the moment is one of frustration that I won't be playing.

I've been completely despondent since I lost my qualifying match a few weeks ago, a match I really should have won. My confidence is very low because of it, but it's made me more determined than ever that I can get things back on track again.

I don't think it's a technical issue as my game hasn't changed since I started playing. But having said that, I'll be working at the Griffiths Academy on my game next year. Hopefully they can help me mentally and technically.

One thing that keeps me hopeful is seeing Steve Davis playing yet again, despite his age - something that is a real boost to me, considering I'll be 40 in September. I've always had a huge amount of respect for Steve even if my hero as a kid was Alex Higgins. Steve has been a great ambassador for the game, and his rivalry with Higgins kept me glued to the snooker when I was a kid.

That kept me going when I was a kid, but the new six-ball format is something that will help get people interested. I played a similar format a few months back and it was terrific fun: frames of just five or 10 minutes with a maximum break of 75, but the speed element was crucial as well.

It'll be something different, and people always like things different.