Welcome to my fifth Q&A with stars of the Snooker world.

Ricky Walden is the latest snooker star to be interviewed on ryan147.com. Currently ranked 20th in the world  officially, Ricky has a great chance of breaking into the top 16 for the first chance in his career this season starting 12th on the one year list.

Ricky also goes into the Shanghai Masters, which begins on monday, as the number one seed after winning the event last season. Ricky beat 2 former world champions, and 2 other players inside the top 16 to reach the final against Ronnie O’Sullivan. Then Ricky caused probably the shcok of the season by beating Ronnie 10-8 in a thrilling final.

Ricky has also won 3 invitational tournaments in the last year, winning the 2008 Belgian Open, 2008 Sangsom Six Red Event and more recently the 2009 General Cup held in China.

Click below to read the Q&A

When did you start playing snooker?                                                                                                                                                          I started playing snooker when I was 9 years old.

What made you become a professional snooker player?                                                                                                            My parents spotted that I had a  talent for snooker and suggested I persued it as a career so i decided I would.

Who were your favourite players from your childhood?                                                                                                    Steve Davis was a legend, he still is!

What is your personal career highlight?                                                                                                                                     Winning my first ranking event, the Shanghai Masters last year along with making my debut at the Masters and World Championship.

Outside of Snooker do you have any sporting hero’s?                                                                                                              Yes, Zinedine Zidane was an awesome footballer, sheer genius.

What is your favourite Snooker Tournament?                                                                                                                                The World Championship

What is your favourite Snooker Venue?                                                                                                                                              The Crucible Theatre

What was your highlight last season?                                                                                                                                           Winning my 1st ranking event, the 2008 Shanghai Masters,  after such a long wait.

What are your goals for the coming season?                                                                                                                                       To keep improving at snooker and challenge for titles.

When you are not playing or have lost in a tournament do you still watch the games on TV?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       If I have had a good tournament then I sometimes I will watch although if I have been beaten in qualifying badly then probably not.