One of the brightest and most famous representatives of snooker is John Higgins. The player's biography began in the small town of Wishaw, where he was born on May 18, 1975. The Scot received an international license and became a professional player in 1992.
Together with another, no less eminent British Ronnie O'Sullivan, he entered the world elite of snooker, a kind of billiard game. The first triumph happened in 1994, when he defeated Dave Harold in the final. From that moment on, his career began to develop rapidly.
Career of the Scottish "wizard"
The first two seasons in his career, John spent quite modestly. He announced himself in the Grand Pri tournament, where he sensationally won first place. The famous player did not stop there and already in the next season he won two British Open and International Open titles. These achievements allowed the Scot to take 11th place in the ranking of world snooker players.
In the 1995-1996 season, John Higgins continued to show an outstanding game. His trophy collection was replenished with several more titles: German Open,International Open. He became a quarter-finalist of the world tournament and confidently settled on the second line of the rating.
Season 1997/98 was the most successful in the career of the Scot. Higgins has been a finalist in 8 ranking tournaments. Now there was only the world championship, where he was not famous for great success. A fortunate combination of circumstances could lead the player to a cherished dream. To do this, Stephen Hendry had to lose in the first round of the competition, and John, to receive the coveted trophy. In the end, he coped with this task and took first place in the ranking.
Rising high and falling fast
In the 1998/99 season, John Higgins failed to defend the title. However, the player remained in first place thanks to winning several major competitions: The Masters, China International, UK Snooker Championship.
The next season was no less successful in the master's career. In one of the tournaments, he scored the most points per game. For the first time, a maximum break of 147 points was recorded at the Nations Cup, and then at the Irish Masters competition. Higgins has won several more trophy prizes at the Welsh Open and Grand Prix.
In the 2000/01 season, John began to decline. At first, everything went well, and he defeated the eminent Mark Williams in the final of the British Championship. However, in the Grand Prix, he stopped participating due to the wedding. In the Nations Cup competition, he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan and dropped to third in the world rankings.
Despite poor performance over the next two seasons, John Higgins managed to stay in the top fivesnooker players.
High level of skill - the first line in the ranking
In 2005/06, the Scot regained his excellent form. At the Grand Prix tournament, he won a convincing victory over his eternal rival Ronnie O'Sullivan. At the same time, John set several records: 4 hundredth series and 494 points scored.
The British Championship was less successful for Higgins. He lost in the 1/8 finals to his opponent Ken Doherty, but won the Wembley tournament. In the M alta Cup competition, a player reaches the final but is defeated.
At the Welsh Open tournament, an experienced master loses at the 1/8 final stage. The China Open competition ends for the Scot with a final defeat to Mark Williams. He was one of the favorites for the 2006 World Championship. However, to the general surprise of many experts, he lost on the first round of the competition to Mark Selby. Despite this fact, snooker player John Higgins managed to regain the top spot in the rankings.
Unstable game, frustrating fans
Fans of the Scottish "wizard" expected from him the same successful performances as the previous season. However, John did not please them, but only disappointed them. He entered the Northern Ireland Trophy where he lost in the round of 16 to a Chinese player. After that, he failed to defend the championship title in the Grand Prix competition.
At the British Championships, Higgins showed the highest class and reached the semi-final stage. However, he lost to the future winner PeterEbdon. Then the experienced master began to decline. He failed in the first round of the Welsh Open and M alta Cup. At the China Open tournament, the Scot reached the 1/4 finals, where he lost to his opponent and close colleague Gramm Dott.
At the prestigious competition in Sheffield, John Higgins was not the favorite. Nevertheless, he managed to rehabilitate himself in front of the fans and win another trophy.
World fame - the first serious success
In 1998, the Scot took part in the world championship. He reached the final for the first time in his career and snatched victory from the young and promising Mark Selby. The Englishman qualified and showed a high class of play. However, his opponent showed real skill and the will to win. As a result, the "wizard" celebrated success.
He became the first champion in 1998, when he was only 23 years old, ahead of two brilliant players in this indicator, Williams and O'Sullivan. After 9 years, he won the second world championship trophy.
In 2007, the holder of the honorary title "Member of the Order of the British Empire" John Higgins in his interview admitted that this event became one of the most important in his life, after the birth of a child. The next season was no less successful for an experienced player. He became the winner of the Grand Prix competition and received his third championship title. In the ranking of snooker players, he took 4th place, and a year later he became its leader.
Bribery allegations
In April 2010, a Scottish player attended a business meeting with his manager. An influential businessman suggested that Higgins and Mooney hold a series of snooker matches on a contract basis.
At that time, the 3-time world title holder decided to accept a tempting offer and hold a fixed game. As a result, John had to concede in several frames. The total amount of the bribe was about $400,000.
Higgins has been suspended from snooker competition following an internal investigation. Nevertheless, the experienced Scot decided to deny the allegations, saying that in his entire professional career, he had never deliberately missed.
According to the ruling of an independent tribunal, the player was given a monetary fine and a six-month suspension, and his manager was banned from snooker for life.
Return to the game
Returning from his suspension, John won several tournaments. Two of them are the most prestigious: the British Championship and the World Championship. The Scot continued to demonstrate a high level of snooker play. John Higgins, whose biography is a direct proof of his talent, "managed" to win also in ETPC-5. ETPC-6 was not so successful for him. He reached the final but lost to future champion Michael Holt.
British championship John held at a high level and met in the final with Mark Williams. During the meeting, the player was inferior with a score of 2:7 and 5:9. However, in the toughest fight,Higgins managed to win. This title was the third in his career.
At the February Welsh Open, he reached the final and received another trophy, beating Stephen Maguire with a total score of 9:6. The following month, the Scot also triumphed at the Hainan Classic.
Life outside of snooker
Even four-time world champion John Higgins has the right to privacy. In 2000, he entered into an official marriage with his beloved Denise. Over the years, they had three children: girl Claudia, boys Oliver and Pierce. In addition, he always tries to attend football matches of his favorite Celtic team.
In 2006, after losing in the M alta Cup final, John was thrown off the plane due to extreme intoxication. However, in preparation for the next tournament and world fame at the Crucible, the player managed to stop drinking alcohol.
In 2011 Higgins had a big tragedy. His father passed away from cancer. He almost always accompanied his son to all world tournaments.
First place in the ranking, victory in the British Championship
At the annual British tournament, the Scot met Mark Williams in the final. John Higgins (pictured below) was determined to win.
In the decisive match, the Welshman showed a low level of play. In the semi-finals, he showed character and the will to win. However, the final was extremely unsuccessful for him. The overall score was 9-5 when the Scot turned the tide to win 22 trophies in his career as a professional player. He is one of the greats who have won the UK Championship more than twice.
John Higgins continues to delight his fans with a talented game. Despite a slight decline, he continues to demonstrate a high level of skill. At the moment, he is located on the 6th line of the world ranking. The Scottish "wizard" from Wishaw has forever entered the history of the popular game.
