Becoming world number one a bit anti-climatic - Allen

Mark Allen says he got "very poor coverage from the governing body" after topping the world rankings.

The 38-year-old from Northern Ireland became number one for the first time in May but is now in third place with Judd Trump leading the way.

He said: "It was a bit anti-climatic. It wasn't really enjoyable if I'm honest. I feel like I got very poor coverage from the governing body and I didn't get a lot of coverage here [in Northern Ireland].

"Even turning up at events and I wasn't on the main table all the time. Ultimately, if you keep winning matches and keep winning tournaments then that takes care of itself. It was a bit of a come down, really. I just feel like World Snooker have their favourites and that's it."

In response to Allen's comments, the World Snooker Tour said: "We feel that we covered Mark’s rise to world number one positively, at the start of the season we sent a crew to Antrim to interview him about this achievement.

"We don’t prioritise specific players, we give them all an equal opportunity to promote the sport and entertain fans.”

However, Allen is determined to make a return to the top spot.

"I didn't stay there long thanks to Judd - he has been winning everything lately. I want to keep enjoying my snooker, keep winning matches and hopefully I'll get back there soon.

"I'm going to be honest and say it's not as big a target as it was before I got there. I don't feel like I got as much attention for being world number one as I thought I would."

Winning a first World Championship title is the ultimate ambition for Allen, who will start his bid for a third Northern Ireland Open title in four years on Monday against China's Liu Hongyu.

A Crucible triumph would be the highlight of a career which has already included success at the Masters, UK Championship and Champion of Champions.

"The ultimate goal is to be world champion. That's the only thing that would raise my CV to the next level. I want to win every tournament that I play in, that's why I practice so hard all year round.

"But, ultimately, your career is going to be looked back on to see, 'did I win a world championship? How many did you win? Did you win triple crown events?'. That's something I need to improve on. That's the be all and end all for me."

Allen admits that he would be disappointed if he didn't land the sport's biggest prize.

"I've won 20 tournaments as a professional and I'm in my 19th year. I've been to world number one and I've won every other tournament the game has to offer, really. I'd be very disappointed if I didn't cross that off my list.

"It's tough - you only get one chance a year and I know how hard it is. It's no surprise that you see so many multiple winners and not many one-time winners. It's up to me to break my own duck.

"As long as I feel like I have a chance of winning it then I'll keep coming back for more."