Snooker
Exclusive: John Higgins Eyes One More Shot at World Championship Glory
Get insights into John Higgins' quest for another World Championship title as the Scottish snooker maestro discusses his aspirations, challenges, and determination to succeed on the grandest stage of snooker.
Image Credits: Euro Sport
Scottish snooker ace John Higgins would love nothing more than to win just one more World Championship title. The four-time world champion last won snooker’s most prestigious prize in 2011. But aged 48 the Wishaw ace knows his chances of landing another Crucible crown are slowly but surely slipping away.
Reflections on Past Glory and Current Challenges
“I hope my World Championship in 2011 isn't my last one, but it might turn out to be,” admitted Higgins, who is looking to shine in Sheffield next month when this year’s World Championship runs 20 April – 6 May. “I'm still hungry, I really am. I'm playing well, I've just not been getting over the line lately, which you need to do in this sport. I've not managed to do that lately, but it is not for the want of trying. It is tough, but I'm still enjoying the fight.”
Higgins won his first world title way back in 1998, followed by Crucible crowns in 2007 and 2009. And his title in 2011 made it an impressive hat-trick of Crucible crowns in a fruitful five-year purple patch.
In the big moments, you need to take it. You need to grasp it and burst through that winning line.
Image Credits: The Independent
Balancing Career and Family in the Snooker Circuit
“It’s not in the back of my mind, but I know it’s there,” admitted Higgins. “If I do drop down the rankings then so be it, it’s not the end of the world. But I just think it’s something for your own vanity that you don’t want to be falling down. It would be a weird one falling down the rankings and having the qualifiers because you’ve not had it since the start of your career.”
Ever since top sports promoter Barry Hearn returned to manage the game, there have been more tournaments than ever before. And with a packed calendar which includes a string of tournaments in China and now a new one in Saudi Arabia, Higgins knows juggling family life and travel across the world doesn’t get any easier in the twilight of his career.
“It’s a difficult one because you want to try and build some confidence with the bigger events,” reflected Higgins. “It’s probably something I’ve not got my head around and worked out right like Ronnie [O’Sullivan] has by picking and choosing events to keep himself fresh. But there’s the pressure of playing for the ranking points - and it can be detrimental to you.”
Stay tuned to SportsBoom.com for exclusive snooker coverage of John Higgins' journey at the World Championship and join us in cheering him on as he aims for snooker glory!
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.