John Higgins think a reduced schedule could be the way forward after his recent win at the World Open has done wonders for his position in the world rankings.
The Wizard of Wishaw got back to ranking event winning ways in Yushan earlier this month, beating Joe O’Connor in the final to land the World Open title.
Along with the trophy came the substantial top prize of £175,000 which saw him make leaps up the world rankings.
Having also made the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong last week, the 49-year-old is now back up to number seven in the world and will have no worries about dropping out of the top 16 for some time to come.
Higgins has not been one to skip events, generally turning up to play in every tournament he is qualified for, but he reckons this might change now he has put himself in a strong ranking position.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been in the right space to pick and choose my events like some of the other boys,’ Higgins told Lancaster and Crowther.
‘The past few years I’ve been chasing ranking points because I’ve been on the cusp of things ranking-wise and getting into tournaments.
‘But I now have the scope to not play in as many tournaments.
Before I’ve always said, “What else would I do?” But I have that cushion now that you can be guaranteed being in everything next year, it would perhaps do me well to pick and choose.
‘The travelling does get harder as you get older. But you are a lucky boy to be playing this great sport and going to these places.’
Higgins did indeed ask ‘what would I do?’ in the past, in fact he did so as recently as last month when asked about tailoring his schedule more.
‘What would I do? What would I do apart from just get on my wife’s nerves? It’s all I’ve ever known. I don’t know what else I’d do!’ Higgins said with a smile at the recent Welsh Open.
The four-time world champion will look to continue his impressive recent results at the Players Championship next week, where he takes on Chris Wakelin in the opening round in Telford.
With Higgins rising to number four on the one-year ranking list (as opposed to the world rankings based on a two-year cycle) he will also be in the upcoming Tour Championship in Manchester.
Then comes the World Championship in Sheffield next month, so given the high status of the events to come, there is no way he will be trimming his schedule before the end of this season.
Instead, he is looking ahead to the next campaign, which he will take on in his sixth decade, with his 50th birthday coming up on May 18.
Higgins’ first title since his stunning 2021 victory at the Players Championship has helped him regain confidence after a number of high profile, painful defeats in the years since.
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He has not hidden the fact that he felt the pain of some of those losses and it was a struggle mentally at times, but he kept fighting to get back into the winners’ circle.
‘You go through some dark times, drives home and flights home and you’re talking to yourself asking if you need to do it, if you need to put yourself through it,’ he said.
‘As I’ve always said, the competitive nature within yourself that has got you to a certain level within the sport probably wouldn’t allow you to back down and drift away meekly.
‘That’s what’s kept me driving on to try and taste the winning feeling again.’
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