Ben Woollaston says he is beginning to believe he is capable of breaking back into the world snooker top 30 after years of battling chronic fatigue.
The 36-year-old, who has previously reached world No. 27, has had his career on hold in recent years due to illness.
He says he has feared for his future at times, but a rebound in results over the past year and improved health in recent months has him optimistic once again.
“I know what I can do,” he said.
“And I think a lot of the other players know that I’m a better player than my results over the last couple of years indicate.
“So, yes, I’m still hopeful to come back and claim or win a tournament.
“I feel like if I get fully better, even through this, I really think I’ll be back to where I was or even further.”
Woollaston, now ranked 57th in the world, has been on the world snooker tour since 2009.
It was before his illness in 2021 that he produced one of his best performances, coming within a shot of winning the 2020 Champions League title before pipping Belgium’s Luca Breschel.
Chronic fatigue, which left the Leicestershire father-of-two drained of energy and struggling with dizziness, left him barely able to take the cue.
“I think I’ve done well to stay professional with the amount of practice and the way I’ve been feeling,” he told BBC Radio Leicester.
“For six months I was bedridden, sleeping 18 or 20 hours a day and unable to stand up without feeling like I was going to pass out again.
“I’m still not perfect now, but there’s definitely been an improvement over the last three or four months.
“Before, on a good day I would try to practice for an hour and then I would be drained. I would struggle to stand for so long, so it was very difficult and hard on my family because I have two boys and I can’t play football with them.”
Woollaston said a run of wins at the UK Championship at the end of 2021, which saw him reach the last 16 at York’s Barbican Centre, was an unexpected leap forward in his recovery at the time.
In recent months he has been able to build his endurance at the table, training longer and more often against fellow pros.
“I went from 30th in the world to 63rd,” he said of his drop in the rankings while dealing with the worst of his health problems.
“I wasn’t playing. I was just going to a tournament with probably an hour of play in a few weeks.
“I was just trying to get through the race, not expecting to win. But then I won two races in the UK Championship, which was a huge surprise.
“Hopefully in the next 12 months I’ll see a huge improvement again because I feel like I’m at 60 or 70% most days. But I’m never 100%.
“You just have to keep going and make sure I win my week in a tournament.”
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