Kyren Wilson has been playing through serious off-table distractions this season and feels players without family commitments are in a far more straightforward position.
The 2024 world champion started the season with a bang by winning the Shanghai Masters, but has struggled for results in ranking events since then.
The Warrior has spoken out about why his mind has been elsewhere as his wife has been dealing with a serious health issue which required surgery.
There was good news on that front ahead of this week’s Northern Ireland Open, with Wilson telling the BBC: ‘We’re about seven weeks in, my wife has had some surgery recently and we’ve been waiting on some results which thankfully have come back all good this week.
‘It’s been quite tough to be honest, there’s been a lot of strain on the family.
‘My wife has had a tough time of it but we’ve had some fantastic news which is certainly going to free up the mind for not just me, but all of us.’
The 33-year-old is putting together a good run in Belfast as defending champion, into the last 16 on Thursday, and feels he is now close to returning to his immense form of last season when he won four ranking titles as world champion.
‘I feel like I’m probably one good run away. I’m trying to do the same things as last year,’ Wilson told Metro. ‘It’s been well documented that it’s been very difficult off the table for personal reasons.
‘I’m a father of a very young family, so it can be difficult going away and playing snooker when your head’s not right. Unfortunately, that has taken its toll. But touch wood, I feel like we’re on the right path to refocusing on the snooker, getting the practice right, getting the preparation right and trying to enjoy the game the way I did last year.
‘You can’t just flick a switch overnight and you’re the worst player in the world all of a sudden. Sometimes life gets in the way.’
Wilson feels that family commitments can be discounted when judging performances, especially against players who don’t have to deal with the same thing.
‘When I’ve been compared to other players that don’t have a family to contend with, you don’t realise how difficult it is to juggle it compared to just going from tournament to tournament, match after match and just focussing solely on making sure your game’s right,’ he said.
‘I have two beautiful boys that love to play football. So, to be fair, predominantly nowadays, my life is around a football pitch.’
The world number two set extremely high standards for himself last season by landing a quartet of ranking titles, plus reaching the Masters final.
So what would class as a good season this time round? ‘I don’t know, really. I think it’s just to be competing all the time,’ he said.
‘I don’t really set goals like I want to win this one, I want to win that one. I just want to try and win everything that I play in. But I’m experienced enough now to understand that I need to prepare properly.
‘If I don’t prepare properly it’s just all guesswork when you get to the venue. Sometimes you can make it happen. I think Mark Williams is a fantastic example for that. Probably turns up at tournaments not as prepared as he once was and you find your form when you’re there. That can happen.
‘So in answer to the previous question as well, like I say, I feel like I’m one good run again from being back where I want to be.’
