Snooker star John Higgins reveals heart-breaking reason behind breaking down in BBC interview after reaching Last-16 at the Crucible

Daily Mail​

22-04-2025

Tearful four-time world champion John Higgins overcame overwhelming emotions to beat Joe O'Connor 10-7 at the Crucible.
The 49-year-old was out of sorts in losing the morning session 5-4 but returned later in the day to turn things around and admitted afterwards he was battling strong feelings.
After edging 6-5 ahead, he finally produced a break of note with a century in the 12th frame.
Although his opponent, who had been on course for the 15th 147 in Crucible history until he missed a 13th red in the morning, fought back to 7-7, the veteran Scot pulled through to win the final three frames.
'That was the most emotional I have ever been today,' Higgins, who came into this year's tournament in top form after clinching the Tour Championship title earlier this month, told BBC Sport before breaking down.
'I left my wife and I was in tears. Obviously my father-in-law wasn't great (after a heart attack last week) and I was having dinner with my boy last night and thinking about sitting here with my dad 25 years ago.
'I was drained today. I had a couple of hours sleep and I came out and felt and played a lot better. I am still so proud that I am still playing at a good level at this age.'
There had been doubts over whether Higgins would take part in the competition at all ahead of his opening match.
The family emergency saw him miss the Green Carpet ceremony ahead of the tournament, as well as the pre-event media day after deciding to remain in Scotland.
Higgins will now face China's Xiao Guodong in the Round of 16 as he looks to make more Crucible history this year.
Should the 49-year-old go all the way in the World Championship, he will become the oldest ever winner of the competition.
His emotional outpouring came after a bizarre clash with O'Connor, in which Higgins' less-experienced rival seemingly handed him a golden opportunity to knock him out.
The favourite failed to get out of a snooker, hitting the pink while playing the ball at pace and leaving the cue ball in an awkward position.
The rules dictate that O'Connor could have asked Higgins to then take the ensuing shot as he had not missed the target ball, which would have been a very tricky shot, but instead decided to risk it himself.
With a tricky pink on offer, O'Connor's gamble did not pay off, and he ultimately missed and gave Higgins a great opportunity to seal the frame, with legend Steve Davis clearly perplexed by the decision.
'The thing I cannot understand is why did Joe not put John back in?' Davis asked on commentary.
'It's not a foul and a miss because he needed snookers. John played it with pace. The cue ball goes into a nasty position.
'Joe could have said, 'you play that shot'. That was strange.
'You stop making the correct decision under pressure with the positional side. That was unforgivable, not to put your opponent back in. He sacrificed the safety exchange.
'John would have been expected to have been put back in.'