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SCOTTISH legend John Higgins believes he would have won more if he did not go “missing” at stages during his illustrious career.
The four-time world champion, 48, won his maiden Crucible crown back in 1998.
Higgins is still going strong[/caption]
But it took until 2007 to land the sport’s marquee title again – which kickstarted a spell of three world titles in five years.
The world No.12 begins his German Masters bid against Zhou Yuelong in the last 32 on Wednesday.
And the Wishaw Wizard said: “My best times would have been between 1998 and 2007, those were the years I won my first two [worlds] but my career went missing around 2001 and 2005.
“Those should have been my best years, I became a dad for the first time and I was probably enjoying myself off the table too much and that’s what I’d put it down to.
“I could still get away with it because there wasn’t the volume of players to hinder you.”
Higgins’ “missing years” coincided with becoming a father for the first time when he welcomed son Pierce into the world with wife Denise.
And he added: “After Pierce you begin to think you need to knuckle down and you can’t be going out to the football at the weekend and going out with your mates for a few drinks and go back out again the next day.
“I had to knock that on the head and that’s when my career began to pick up again.
“I won the second world title in 2007 then won it in 2009 and 2011. “They were the three biggest titles of my career and when you feel you’ve grown up a bit.”
Graeme Dott will look to continue his four-match winning streak against either Andrew Higginson or Xu Si.
Higgins recently revealed that his boy often gets MORE attention than him these days due to his presence on TikTok.
Pierce and pal Lewis Reid make up a comedy duo and have amassed almost four-million likes on their social media page, Jamaica Street.
Higgins said: “I’m being truthfully honest, when I go out with him to the football or a meal it’s amazing how many people recognise him and not me!
“They maybe think, ‘I’ve seen this old guy before but I don’t know what he does.’”
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