Ali Carter was considering life away from snooker earlier this month and came ‘very close’ to quitting the game years ago, but was celebrating winning the English Open title on Sunday night.
The 47-year-old beat Mark Williams 9-6 in the final in Brentwood, lifting the Steve Davis Trophy and pocketing £100,000 in front of his home crowd in Essex.
It is the seventh ranking title of Carter’s career but it comes out of the blue given he has shown little sign of tournament-winning form of late.
‘It’ just unbelievable,’ he said. ‘This game does your head in, it really does. How I’ve come here and won it this week is a modern day miracle but I’m going home with the trophy and that’s all that matters.’
The Captain said that just two weeks ago, after defeat to Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon at the British Open, he was even considering a future away from snooker.
‘Last week I had the flu after I got back from China for 10 days but I turned up in Cheltenham and I lost 4-3 to someone ranked 110 in the world,’ he told WST. I thought maybe it’s time to get a job or do something else. Well, I don’t know about get a job, but do something else!
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‘Before you know it the next week I’ve turned up and I’m going home with the silverware, happy days.’
Carter’s snooker career nearly came to an end before it got going as he nearly swapped the cue for a cockpit on a permanent basis 20 years ago.
The Captain remains a keen pilot in his spare time, but nearly made it his job when snooker suffered financially due to the ban on tobacco sponsorship.
‘Very close,’ he said of how close he came to leaving the sport. ‘When we lost the tobacco sponsorship back in 2005, we had six tournaments. The prize money went down massively.
‘I thought, what am I going to do? I’ve got to go and do a job. And what job am I going to do? One which I would actually feel like a bit of self-worth.
‘I was fortunate enough to meet a guy who was a commercial pilot, and I had a keen interest in aviation. He got me airborne in his little light aircraft and then I decided to do my licence on the premise of doing an ATPL [Airline Transport Pilot Licence].
‘But then I got to the final of the World [Championship] in 2008, made the maximum, and then really things started going well from there.
‘What happened was, as soon as I realised I could do something else, I wasn’t just a dumb snooker player, I think that took the pressure off my snooker.
‘Then obviously my career really went from strength to strength from there.’
Carter is still going from strength to strength, back in the world’s top 16 and still seeing plenty of years ahead despite turning 48 next year.
‘I don’t feel like I’m 47 and I certainly don’t look 47!’ Carter said. ‘So I just keep kidding myself that I’m like a newbie still.
‘While I can hold the passion to keep practising, which is tough these days, I’m not practising a lot at all.
‘I’m fortunate enough to have a snooker table at home. Got a beautiful room. But if I get in there for an hour, two hours a day, that’s about my maximum.
‘It’s tough, but I’m fortunate. The game has given me a great life, hasn’t it?’
Carter is hopeful that the win in Brentwood will lead to much more success, especially as he can now focus on snooker fully again after a difficult spell in his family life.
‘I’ve been through a bit of a rough patch, you know, family troubles,’ he told TNT Sports. ‘The last couple of years, I couldn’t really focus on snooker. That’s all behind me now.’
The issue was over access to his daughter who he had with ex-partner Stella English, but he explains: ‘I’m seeing my daughter again when I can. The snooker’s keeping me busy, but it’s great.
‘I’ve got my boy, Max. He’s doing well. He’s just going to college, learning to be an aircraft engineer.
‘He texted me last night [after the semi-final] and said, “Dad, I don’t know the result, but can you pick me up from fishing?” And I was like, “No, mate, I’m busy!” So, yeah, it’s all good.’