"There are five players
who are all in with a serious chance of winning it and it is
very close between them all," said Khan.
"I think it all depends on how they start and who's got the
most motivation - If they can all get off to a good start
and gather some momentum, it will be the player who deals
with the pressure best and who is most hungry who will go
all the way.
"When we get to the quarter-final stage it will become very
interesting and I will be watching closely to see how it
pans out because the players wait all year for this moment
and there's nothing better than winning the World
Championship title."
23-year-old
Egyptian Mohamed Elshorbagy goes into the tournament
as hot-favourite, having claimed the last two PSA World
Series titles, but with Englishman Nick Matthew
aiming to defend his crown, Frenchman Gregory Gaultier
determined to end his four-final losing streak and
Ramy Ashour and Amr Shabana hoping to upset the
odds, Khan predicts a fascinating battle to come.
"This is the most
prestigious title, along with the British Open, that is
available in the sport and the one that all the players
want," said the 50-year-old who went on a 555-match unbeaten
streak over five and a half years from April 81 until Nov
86.
"Elshorbagy is a fantastic young talent and he has made
great progress over the past six months. He's beaten all the
top guys and will be full of confidence and I think he is
very hungry.
"But
the World Championship is a very different experience to any
other event on tour - winning it once can change your life
and is a dream that every player looks up to. For me winning
the World title in 1981, against Geoff Hunt, was a very
special moment in my career.
"This year I think Ramy Ashour will be a very dangerous
player - he's an incredible talent with lots of experience.
"He's had a lot of injury problems and for him it's all
about his body. It's a bit unknown for him and there will be
a lot of pressure on him from himself after such a long
lay-off but if his body can handle it, then he is a major
threat.
"The other players have all been around for a long time and
have a lot of experience as well so it promises to be a
fascinating week."