JOHN’S TEETOTAL DOMINATION
JOHN HIGGINS has QUIT the booze in a bid to land a fifth Betfred World Championship crown.
The seasoned Scot, 45, went teetotal 18 months ago and is feeling the benefits of his lifestyle change.
And rejuvenated world No.5 Higgins is desperate to banish his recent Crucible heartache after three agonising defeats in the last four world finals.
The Wishaw Wizard once again heads to snooker’s spiritual home as one of the leading contenders after a vintage display to pocket the Players Championship in February – his first ranking title for three years.
“I haven’t touched a drop for about 18 months,” revealed Higgins, who kicks off his Crucible quest against China’s today.
“I’ve just decided to cut it out of my lifestyle. I don’t miss it. I didn’t have a problem or drink every night but I decided to cut it out and it’s worked for me. I feel better mentally. I just think it’s when you get a bit older if you go for a night out it probably takes you a little bit longer to recover.
“I’ve not got enough time left in the sport that I can give up tournaments or practice days if I want to give myself the best opportunity near the end of my career.”
Higgins would love nothing more than to add another Crucible crown to his CV – a decade after his fourth title.
He said: “It would be my best ever achievement if I could win it for a fifth time.”
Fans made their long-awaited return to indoor sporting events on the opening day yesterday. And if all goes well there will be a packed house for the final, with the winner taking a £500,000 prize.
Runaway world No.1 Judd Trump, the 2019 winner, begins his Crucible challenge against Liam Highfield on Tuesday.
Triple world champions Mark Selby and Mark Williams start their title bids against Kurt Maflin and debutant Sam Craigie respectively on Wednesday.