Having doubted whether he would ever play snooker to a high level again, Scott Donaldson is optimistic that he has recovered from a serious health issue and can make his way back up the rankings.
Perth potter Donaldson enjoyed the best spell of his career in 2019 and 2020, reaching the semi-finals of the China Open, winning the invitational Championship League and climbing to 22nd in the world. But from 2021 he had spells when his arms or legs would shake while he was playing and he would feel a tingling or numb sensation. The problem went undiagnosed for two years and inevitably the Scot's form and results suffered as he dropped out of the world's top 50. He even had to pull out of a World Championship qualifying match against Ryan Day when he was just 4-0 down in 2023.
"At that time I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to play again to any level," admitted the 30-year-old. "I couldn’t stop shaking on the shot. And it was the same on the practice table, so it wasn’t to do with nerves. When I first had the problem it went away for a while, but I didn’t have my game at the time and I was getting stressed so perhaps that contributed to it coming back.
"Eventually I went to see a doctor at UCL Hospital in London because I couldn’t get answers in Scotland. He thought I had something called a clonic tremor, which I had never heard of before, which meant that my brain was moving my limbs without me even knowing about it.
"He sent me for a DAT brain scan which is usually used to diagnose things like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It took months to get a date for the scan, and then the scanner in Glasgow packed in, so I had to go back to London again to get it done. By then I actually felt better, I wasn’t shaking any more. The results from the scan came back normal which was a big relief. Since then it has been fine, and long may that continue.
"When I was in a bad place with my game and my health, everything was running through my head and I had to think about other careers. I’m not that good at anything else! I’m like a lot of snooker players, we don’t have anything else to fall back on. You end up putting everything into snooker.
"My wife Ina has been there through everything. There have been times where I have been devastated at how I’ve been playing, and then the health issues. She's been amazing, the best woman I have ever met. I genuinely couldn’t have gone through it without her."
Donaldson found his game at the World Championship qualifiers in April. Ironically he lost to Day again, albeit this time a hard-fought 10-9 defeat on Judgement Day where his health was not an issue.
"Those qualifiers were the first time I felt good about my game in a long time," he explained. "In my opening match I was 4-1 down against Peter Lines and struggling, then I made a really good break to go 4-2 and that changed everything. I won 10-6, beat Joe Perry 10-6, and then the match against Ryan was a great standard, I just lost the last frame.
"I’ve worked really hard on my game. I went to see Chris Henry. I watched old videos of myself practising and saw something I was doing then that I wasn’t doing now – as soon as I changed that I felt like my old self again. I will always miss easy balls, but at least I know what I am doing now in terms of my technique. I'm feeling in a really good place and loving every minute of being out there."
The former European Amateur Champion continued his improved form into this season's BetVictor Championship League, coming through the first two group stages before narrowly missing out on a place in the final. A dozen years after he first turned pro, he hopes he has learned enough and improved enough to move into a new phase in his career.
"Players coming through now don’t always realise how hard it is," he said. "It’s not about just playing well, it’s also about getting used to being on tour, travelling, getting used to different conditions and humidities in different countries. I have noticed a few young players in their first year getting frustrated and thinking they are playing rubbish, when in fact it’s just very difficult.
"People might compare today's young players to the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, but the fact is those guys are freaks. Not everyone realises how good they are. You watch videos of Ronnie when he was 14 and it’s incredible. They were winning a lot of qualifying matches to get sharp and when they got to the venues and they probably fancied beating anyone. It’s a very hard game but they make it look so easy. Graeme Dott is a phenomenal player but he has only won two tournaments. If he had been playing in another era he would have been regarded as a legend – he still is in my opinion!
"After 12 years I hope I have got through the hardest part. I just try my best, enjoy playing, work hard at it and the game gives me a lot back. I love the game. There’s nothing better than feeling like yourself out there. It doesn’t mean you will be playing amazing, but to be content with how you are playing is a really good place to be."