Maguire is heading back to Crucible, but he has concerns about his performance.

After a few years of struggling on the snooker tour, Stephen Maguire is determined to make a comeback and reclaim his spot at the top. He recently secured a spot at the iconic Crucible Theatre after successfully qualifying for the World Snooker Championship. However, despite his victory, he remains modest and reserved when discussing his current form.

This will be Maguire's 20th appearance at the prestigious venue, but his first since 2022. He narrowly missed out on qualifying last year but was able to secure his spot this time around with an impressive 10-7 win over Ashley Hugill and a comfortable 10-6 victory over Yuan Sijun at Judgement Day. Although he managed to score three centuries in his win over Yuan, Maguire downplays his own skills, stating that it's not his own improvement but rather the lack of improvement from his opponents.

Ranked at number 28 in the world, Maguire admits that the past couple of years have been tough for him. He has been open about how playing in qualifying venues can be demotivating and affect his performance. "Losing in this place is tough to swallow," he says. "You don't want to be here in the first place, and when you do lose, it's even harder to take."

The 43-year-old acknowledges that his performance can vary greatly from day to day. "One day I can play like a pro, and the next day I look like I've never even held a cue," he says. But he remains optimistic and is looking forward to competing at The Crucible once again. "Every day is different for me," he says. "We'll just have to see what happens down at The Crucible."

Maguire will find out who his opponent will be at The Crucible when the draw is announced on Thursday morning. While he is confident in his abilities and fears no one, he does admit that he would prefer not to draw his practice partner, John Higgins, in the first round. "I want to play games with John," he says. "But if I draw him, I doubt we'll be playing each other. It'll just be a nightmare."

In the meantime, Maguire plans to head back to Glasgow and practice with Higgins before the tournament begins. "He's not playing until Wednesday, so if I don't have to play until Sunday or Monday, we can get a few games in," he says. "But if we do end up playing each other, there will definitely be some friendly banter, but it'll also be a bit of a nightmare."

In other news, snooker legend Steve Davis has recently shared his thoughts on Ronnie O'Sullivan, stating that while he had the "X Factor" during his time, O'Sullivan has the "XXX Factor." Additionally, Jack Lisowski was able to breeze through the World Snooker Championship qualifying rounds, further adding to the excitement and anticipation for the upcoming tournament.

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