The Whirlwind will be bidding for a fourth world seniors title and a third on the trot.
The draw for the 2021 World Seniors Snooker Championship has been made with Jimmy White set to face Tony Knowles at the Crucible Theatre in May.
White won his third world seniors crown last August with a dramatic 5-4 victory against Ken Doherty in the final in Sheffield, having at one stage trailed 4-0 to the Irishman.
The 58 year-old has generally dominated on the World Seniors Tour in the last few years, and he’ll certainly be among the favourites again on this occasion.
Against Knowles, he comes up against a player he faced 18 times in professional competition between 1979 and 1993, winning 13 times.
Stephen Hendry, who beat Jimmy White in the recent World Snooker Championship qualifiers, is one of the other big names in the World Seniors draw and will face 1977 UK champion Patsy Fagan in the first round.
The Scot has so far failed to land any silverware in the over-40s competitions, but with more practice under his belt in the last year or so he will certainly carry a more significant threat.
Elsewhere, Ken Doherty and Joe Johnson clash in a battle of the former world champions, while Michael Judge and Patrick Wallace encounter each other in an all-Irish affair.
Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo will be in action against former world number two John Parrott, with Dennis Taylor facing Barry Pinches and David Lilley taking on Philip Williams.
Finally, 2011 world seniors champion Darren Morgan will begin his attempt to regain the crown against fellow Welshman Lee Walker.
The World Seniors Snooker Championship takes place from May 6 to May 9 at the Crucible Theatre, with live coverage set to be provided by BBC on its digital platforms.
Featured photo credit: WSS
📋 DRAW | The last 16 line-up for the 2021 ROKiT World Seniors Snooker Championship is now known following this afternoon’s live draw and we have a number of fantastic match-ups in prospect!
Which is your pick of the round? 🤔#SeniorsSnooker pic.twitter.com/MfHjlyQtRg
— ROKiT World Seniors Snooker (@WorldSeniors) April 23, 2021
Walker v Morgan is a grudge match according to Steve Davis.
You could make a case for any of about 10 players potentially winning this title. Knowles, Taylor, Parrott, Johnson, Fagan and Williams seem very unlikely champions.