John Higgins fears his days of competing at the sharp end of snooker could be at an end.
The 37-year-old Scot, a four-time winner, suffered a miserable first-round exit at the Betfair World Championship as he tumbled to a 10-6 defeat against qualifier Mark Davis.
With his hopes over for another year, Higgins reflected on a tough couple of years since he last lifted the trophy in Sheffield.
And he admits doubts are creeping up on him, with demons in his game that were absent when he was as dominant a figure as any player has been in the last 15 years.
Sussex potter Davis turned an overnight 6-3 lead into a handsome victory over the man who triumphed at the Crucible in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011.
The 40-year-old also defeated Higgins at the UK Championship in December, and aside from landing the Shanghai Masters title last September this has been a grim campaign for the Wishaw man.
“You just miss certain shots and you don’t know how you’re missing them. I could really ask other people who have won lots of tournaments,” Higgins said.
“I know you can’t put it down to age because Mark Davis is certainly playing as well as he’s ever played and he’s in his forties.
“Maybe it’s that he’s never really been at the business end of tournaments to get the grey hairs that I’ve got. That might be one of the reasons, but anything half difficult out there I was missing and that was just putting the pressure on me. I couldn’t cope with it at the end.
“I don’t want to sound big-headed to say that the likes of Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis are the only ones I could talk to, but they have continually been competing at the business end of tournaments for 20 years and it might just take its toll on you.
“You don’t know when it’s coming but it’s maybe caught up with me. That’s not to say that I can’t come back and win tournaments but it’s a funny feeling and I’ve got that feeling just now. It’s not a nice feeling but I think I’m there.”
Davis clinched his place in the second round with a closing break of 87 and will be looking to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in a career that has only taken off lately.
“To beat John here is definitely my best win I think,” Davis said. “I could always play, it’s just only in the last couple of years I’ve believed I could.
“I feel good, I can still just about see, so hopefully I’ve got a little while left yet.
“Ideally you want to be playing like this earlier but I’ll have it any time. I’ve had a brilliant season so far with three semi-finals and hopefully a little more to come here yet.”
If Davis extends his run, he could face defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals.
Higgins said: “Ronnie’s going to be dangerous going into the second week of the Crucible because he knows better than anybody left in the tournament what it takes to win it. You’d have to make him favourite.”