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UK Championship 2025: Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams shining at 50

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Snooker may not be an athletic or explosive game, but success still depends on physical attributes that should favor young players.

O’Sullivan keeps himself fit by running, but it’s hard to avoid other aspects of ageing, such as declining eyesight, which Williams knows all too well.

“It makes me laugh. I need glasses for everything: reading, middle distance (putting), long distance (putting), everything,” Williams told BBC Sport in September.

The Welshman is considering having lens replacement surgery but has postponed it three times, most recently in November, mainly because he keeps winning.

Williams may benefit from what psychologists call brain neuroplasticity.

Zoe Wimshurst, who coaches athletes to help them make the best use of their vision, explained that unless an athlete has an eye condition such as cataracts, the brain has the ability to adapt to reduced vision.

“Everyone, by the time you get to your mid-30s, maybe early 40s, you’ll notice that the lens of the eye has really hardened,” he said.

“(But) our brains will constantly be adjusting to the challenges we put them under, and this continues throughout our lifetime, even really into old age.

“But, even if it’s not your vision, it may be other parts of your body that let you down.”

“Somewhere along the lines of a great muscle control sport like snooker, your body tricks your brain,” Davis said.

“Your arm doesn’t do what’s required. The first thing I realized was that yes, I hit the ball in a straight line, but I didn’t hit it at the right speed.

“Delivery load is something that is going to happen and there’s no real way out of it. It’s going to happen.”

O’Sullivan’s work with Peters coincided with his careful management of his body and he has often stressed the importance of diet to his success.

“He doesn’t drink, he eats proper food,” said John Virgo, the 1979 UK champion. “You wouldn’t think he was 50, I mean, he still looks 30!”

Williams has also recently had a nutrition-based epiphany, revealing that in 2024 she has introduced pre-match meals, which she says keeps her energy up through long evening sessions.

And while Higgins lost more than three stone in 2021, which he credits to regular spin classes, he now says the weight has “bounced back on”, but he’s setting up a gym at home to change things up and get “a bit more motivation”.



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