- Snooker
Confidence remains, but Higgins still seething
ESPN staff
February 9, 2010
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Alex Higgins was a master of his craft
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Alex Higgins is on the comeback trail for the Snooker Legends tour, but one of the greatest talents ever to grace the game feels he could still be a match for the world's elite even at the age of 60.
Higgins won the last of his world titles in 1982 and has not played professionally since the 1990s. He has also fought a long-running battle with throat cancer and alcohol addiction, but the spirit remains strong and will soon be back at the table.
Jimmy White has been the driving force behind the Legends tour that will feature some of the greats of yesteryear and Higgins will be one of the draw cards. The prospect of playing again is an attractive one and the confidence is undimmed.
"The cancer robbed me of my teeth. I would need to have proper teeth, then I could eat properly, I need to gain 2½ stone in weight, get that power back in my arm. And I would need to play with fellow professionals I like and get on with, people who enjoy playing. But given the right conditions, I could be at least as good as anybody in the top 32," Higgins, known as the Hurricane for his speed around the table, told the Telegraph.
Higgins is almost certain to be a little rusty when he returns, having played nothing more than the occasional exhibition, but he is likely to demonstrate the twinkle-toes of old.
"It all comes from the feet," he said. "Every sport's the same. Snooker's no different. It's all about balance. And I could stretch. I'm five eight, five nine, but I could get there. I'd lean across the table and make those shots. Nowadays they add all sorts of bits to the cue, make them longer, use the rests. To me, that's taking the challenge out of it.
"People stop me in the street every day and say 'when you coming back Alex, when you going to show these so-and-sos who claim to be snooker players how to play the game?' I say I'm not healthy enough as yet. But I'd love to."
Snooker has been in decline for a number of years, with the number of events dwindling, and Higgins feels the powerbrokers, who he had repeated clashes with during his career, did not do enough to help the sport.
"The game is in decline," he said. "You listen to various commentators, they keep on saying the pockets are tighter now. They're not. Tables used to be squared off. Now they're smoothed off round the pocket. It's the law of gravity. It's easier to pot. I refuse to play on easy tables. I'd never play on one, it makes you sloppy. It makes you chastise yourself for being sloppy. I grew up believing it was a discipline. Just like gymnastics. But they F****d it up."
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