'You don't need it in your life' – Higgins reveals key regret in golden career

John Higgins has revealed the one major change he would make when he reflects upon his golden 32-year professional snooker career has nothing to do with picking up a cue.

The Scotsman is widely regarded as one of the all-time greats having lifted four world titles in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 amid an overall haul of 31 ranking title victories, but wonders if he could have improved that trophy haul with more dedication.

In particular, Higgins – who also lost in four finals at the Crucible in 2001, 2017, 2018 and 2019 – feels that avoiding alcohol would have benefited a more “single-minded” mindset during his rise to the summit of the sport since he turned professional in 1992.

“You win what you win. I’ve never sort of looked back, but if I could start my career again, I would love to do things differently,”

after turning 49 last weekend.

“I mean, I probably wouldn’t touch alcohol now because I’ve never had a drink in about five years. And you think, you just don’t need it now, you don’t need it in your life.

“I think when you’re growing up as a player, I would be honest about it, when I won my world titles, and at the start, I probably went out partying too much and just forgetting about it.

“I never had that single-mindedness to be like a [Steve] Davis or a [Stephen] Hendry to just keep on winning tournaments.

“I was too busy wanting to enjoy myself with my mates. So I was trying to have a balance, and then you are obviously getting married, having kids and that took up the main part of your life too.

“So I was never single-minded, but then you think to yourself, if you ever was that single-minded, all the other things could have fell apart.

“It’s happened with other sports stars that they become too focused on their career, and they let everything else fall by the wayside.

“So I think looking back, I’ve had a great life.”

He is only five centuries short of becoming the second player in history behind Ronnie O’Sullivan to pass the 1,000 mark in his career.

Higgins misses out on 167 in dramatic fashion!

“Over the years, I probably knew that you can’t handle your drinks some of the time, and you think you should have just knocked it on the head sooner,” said Higgins, who start next season as world No. 16.

“I thought to myself: ‘I’m getting to that stage, where you’re thinking the career could be over soon’. Got to knock it on the head, and then just try to give it a go for however long you have left in the career.

“And then that’s what you do when you knock it on the head. You think to yourself: ‘God, you’re not missing much, you’re not missing much at all’.

“And then you think to yourself: ‘If that would have happened earlier on in my career, what would have happened?’