World champion John Higgins: “Snooker was a gamble”

June 15, 2011

“Snooker was a gamble. When I was 13 years old I just stopped studying and focused – I wanted to be a snooker player. If I hadn’t succeeded with snooker, I didn’t have any other professional qualifications. I played and I was very lucky”.
This was explained by four-timer snooker world champion John Higgins on Slavi’s Show to answer the question: How does one become a professional snooker player. The sport was described by the guest as a gladiator game similar to chess.

Regarding the huge interest snooker tournaments receive around the world and what does it feel like when you are watched by 200 million people only in China, Higgins said: “I don’t think I would be able to concentrate, if I knew how many people are watching me on TV. In the arenas where we play we are observed by 500 to 1,000 people, but if I knew that there are 200 million people who are watching me, I would be shaking.”

The gladiator duel between Slavi and John on the snooker table was filled with gentlemen moves by the Scot, who delicately helped each ball hit by Slavi enter the pocket. When Slavi asked if John Higgins was playing with his own cue stick the world champion said that his cue got lost at the airport in Sofia along with the rest of his luggage.

Despite the troubles, John Higgins said he was pleasantly surprised by fans in our country: “I never imagined that I have fans in Bulgaria, that there are people here who watch snooker. Over the past 15-20 years there is a television channel that shows snooker to countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Russia and it is incredible to travel to those countries that I never imagined I would visit. When you arrive in these countries there are many fans who love snooker. It’s fantastic.”