John Higgins spoke out about struggles for motivation for snooker after turning 50, but has put those concerns behind him and is enjoying the game again.
The four-time world champion had a great campaign last time round, winning the World Open and Tour Championship before losing a classic World Championship quarter-final to Mark Williams on the final black.
The Wizard of Wishaw turned 50 in May and enjoyed some time off, with his wife treating him to a trip to the set of his favourite TV show Dallas, where his mind was taken off snooker completely.
At the Wuhan Open in August he spoke about practice being a struggle and the motivation to compete and win even feeling like it was ebbing away as he enters his sixth decade.
‘I’m struggling, struggling with the motivation,’ Higgins told WST in Wuhan. ‘I think after the big high I had with my birthday, going to Dallas and different things, I’m really struggling for the motivation.
‘I’ll play this event and then take a month off and see where I am after that. I don’t know if I should have come to this event. I’m struggling.
‘Maybe it’s because I had a little bit of a high at the end of last year and maybe I’m not used to it in the last few years.
‘I’m struggling with my technique and that’s just all down to me not putting the hours in. My technique is really all over the place. I need to feel as if I’m on it, playing at least a couple of hours a day, but I’m struggling to put half an hour in and at this level you cannot mix it with the best players at this level.’
Higgins went on to reach the quarter-finals in Wuhan and only had a very short break – missing the English Open – before making the semis of the British Open.
He is now off and running at the Northern Ireland Open with a 4-0 win over Louis Heathcote in his opening round and a struggle for motivation has been replaced by gratitude that he is still competing 33 years after turning professional.
‘Ach, I just think I turned 50 and was doing a bit of travelling…but you’re back in the real world and you realise it was just a moment you’re going through in your life,’ Higgins told Metro of his early-season struggles.
‘No, I’m back on playing now. I’m lucky to be playing this game.’
On his short break from competition, he explained: ‘I had it in my head that I was playing in China [Xi’an Grand Prix] and I wasn’t going to play in the English or British Open, that was the thinking at the time.
‘But when I didn’t qualify for China [losing to Liam Pullen in qualifying], I thought I should go down to the British Open. But I didn’t even pick my cue up, I just thought I’d go down with my missus for a day or two but you go on a wee bit of a roll and start playing a bit better. It’s difficult trying to judge the calendar. But it is what it is.
John Higgins’ season so far
Shanghai Masters Last 16: 4-6 Xiao Guodong
Saudi Arabia Masters Last 32: 4-5 Elliot Slessor
Wuhan Open quarter-final: 3-5 Gary Wilson
Xi’an Grand Prix Last 128: 3-5 Liam Pullen
British Open semi-final: 3-6 Anthony McGill
‘It was the game against Louis [Heathcote] down there that gave me a wee bit of confidence because I was well down against him and I managed to play well to come back. I thought Ants [McGill] played well against me in the semi, I missed a couple but didn’t do a hell of a lot wrong.’
The brief break over, Higgins is now targeting silverware again before the end of the year, with the International Championship, UK Championship and Scottish Open following his current trip to Belfast.
‘Coming into the winter months, we’ve got a few big tournaments coming up,’ he said. ‘It’ll be good to try to start to play well.’
Higgins is back in action in Belfast against Pang Junxu in the last 32 of the Northern Ireland Open.