Peter David Ebdon (born 27 August 1970)[2] is an English retired professional snooker player who is a former world champion and current coach.

He retired from the professional tour at the end of the 2019–20 season, aged 49, due to chronic neck and spinal pain.

Since retiring as a player, Ebdon has coached and mentored current professionals including Shaun Murphy, Jack Lisowski, Anthony McGill, Elliot Slessor, and Kyren Wilson.

Making his Crucible debut at the 1992 World Championship, he defeated Steve Davis 10–4 in the first round and went on to reach the quarter-finals, losing 7–13 to Terry Griffiths.

Ebdon began the third session of the match trailing 6–10, but won seven of the last eight frames for a 13–11 victory, despite making a highest break of 60 and having an average shot time of 37 seconds.

[24] Later that year, Ebdon won his second Triple Crown title at the 2006 UK Championship, defeating Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals, John Higgins in the semi-finals, and Hendry 10–6 in the final.

[27] This was the last time Ebdon featured in the later stages of a World Championship; his final seven Crucible appearances all ended in first-round defeats.

After the match, the Gambling Commission expressed concern about attempts by punters to place unusually large bets for Ebdon to lose 0–5 and not to make a break over 50.

[29][30] Ebdon won the 2009 China Open with a 10–8 victory over John Higgins in the final,[31] but lost 5–10 to Bond in the first round of the 2009 World Championship.

[34] Ebdon fell out of the top 16 again early in the 2011–12 season, meaning he had to qualify for the main stage of ranking events thereafter.

[35] He lost his first 2011 UK Championship qualifying match 3–6 to Robert Milkins, meaning that he did not feature at the tournament's main stage for the first time since 1991.

[37][38] Ebdon won the 2012 China Open, defeating John Higgins, Neil Robertson, and Ding before beating Stephen Maguire 10–9 in the final.

[44] His match against Ding provoked controversy, with Ebdon recording an average shot time of 32 seconds in a nine-frame encounter that lasted almost five hours.

[49] By qualifying for the 2013 World Championship, Ebdon equalled Steve Davis's then-record 22 consecutive appearances in the tournament.

[53] Ebdon's run of 22 consecutive Crucible appearances ended at the 2014 World Snooker Championship, when he lost 8–10 to Robin Hull in qualifying, missing the event's main stage for the first time since turning professional.

[55] At the 2015 UK Championship, Ebdon beat opponents including reigning world champion Bingham to reach the last 16, where he lost 2–6 to David Grace.

[64] Ebdon reached his 18th and last ranking event final at the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic, where he lost 2–4 to Kyren Wilson.

[68] As of 2023[update] Ebdon also coaches and mentors current professionals Anthony McGill,[69] Elliot Slessor, and Kyren Wilson.

Ebdon was criticised by other professionals for his slow play as well as his exuberant outpourings of emotion after winning important frames or matches, with O'Sullivan once calling him a "psycho".

[79] In 2005, he emigrated to Dubai with his wife and children, stating that the move was due to tax reasons, lower crime rates, and better weather.

[82][83] In 2010, Ebdon married his second wife, Nora, whom he first met at a players' party at a snooker event in Austria.

In a May 2020 interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, he discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, calling social distancing guidelines "harmful", stating that people were being "brainwashed", and claiming that the public was "facing the greatest psychological operation in history".

During the interview, Ebdon referenced individuals who had made unsubstantiated claims about topics such as the September 11 attacks and the Manchester Arena bombing, prompting Telegraph sports journalist James Corrigan to ask if winning the World Snooker Championship "gives you the right to propagate wild conspiracy theories on a national radio show".