Legendary 49-year-old Scot John Higgins is embarking on his 30th consecutive season as a member of snooker's elite top 16. This incredible showing of longevity nearly came to an end last season, but a stunning clearance against Mark Allen at the Crucible saw him win 13-12, make the World Championship quarter-finals and cling on.
The four-time World Champion was beaten 13-8 in the last eight against eventual winner Kyren Wilson in Sheffield. Higgins was disappointed not to capture another piece of Crucible glory, but it has given him perspective on his past achievements.
The Glaswegian now heads to China for the Shanghai Masters, where he faces Lyu Haotian in the opening round next week. We caught up with him to reflect and look forward...
John, thanks for speaking to us. How do you reflect on your World Championship campaign at the end of last season?
“It was like a mirror image of my season overall. There were good parts to it, like the wins against Jamie Jones and Mark Allen. I obviously then ran out of steam a little bit at the end. I think it showed me what a tough tournament the World Championship is. Mentally to keep coming back, again and again, is hard. As you get a wee bit older, you find your mental reserves get depleted a little bit. That is what I found against Kyren. I struggled the first couple of sessions and was lucky to be hanging on to his coattails, because he was the better player. It was disappointing, but all throughout the summer people were coming up to me and talking about my win against Mark Allen. At this stage of my career, that isn’t much of a consolation. If you have been there and won it four times, then a last 16 match isn’t much of a consolation.
“I think it tells me that maybe over the years I’ve downplayed my wins. I think I should be really proud of them. These experiences make you realise how difficult it really is to win there. I think the best player of the tournament won. It was Kyren by far. He was definitely a worthy winner I would say. "
We've seen two new World Champions over the last two years. How important is that for the growth of the sport?
“I think it is great for the sport to have new winners. Some people might not like it and want the old favourites, but I think for the sport to progress you need new winners. Luca was obviously the first from mainland Europe and Kyren has been pushing hard. It just shows you what hard work can get you in this sport. He pours his heart and his soul into the game. He deserves his win for sure."
You mentioned that you weren't sure how many more times you would be back at the Crucible. Do you find you still have the hunger ahead of this season?
“Yeah I still enjoy it playingwise. It is the solo practising that I maybe don’t enjoy now. An hour or two maximum is about what I can do. I still enjoy playing games. I’ve had one with Ross Muir today and some of the other boys. I’ve always enjoyed the competitive nature and trying to win a couple of pounds off each other. That is all I’ve ever known from a snooker environment I suppose. I don’t think I’ll ever lose that."
How much are you looking forward to heading out to Shanghai to compete next week?
“It is a good city to go and play in. It is a well supported event as well. Top players against wildcards. It is a great event with top players. It is something I would have missed out on if I hadn’t stayed in the top 16, so I'm really going to enjoy it."
Finally, it was a disappointing tournament for the Scotland football team at Euro 2024. How do you reflect on the way it panned out?
“It was disappointing. It was a carbon copy of the one three years previously. I thought the team could have offered more. The whole nation was behind them but it never seemed to work out. The players will be more disappointed than anyone. They will be more disappointed than the fans with how they acquitted themselves. They just have to get back on the horse and try to come back stronger.”