April 26th 2024.
Jack Lisowski, a professional snooker player, recently took a three-month hiatus from the sport in the middle of the season. Now, he feels like he is back to his best after a much-needed break. Lisowski's season so far has been forgettable, with only one semi-final appearance as his best result. However, he seems to have found his form just in time for the important tournaments.
The 32-year-old successfully qualified for the World Championship and even won his opening game against Ding Junhui. This may come as a surprise to many, as Lisowski's results this season did not indicate a potential World Championship contender. But according to Lisowski, his break from snooker has reinvigorated his game.
"I've been on holiday for the last few months," Lisowski shared. "I feel really fresh and just enjoying snooker. I had two three months off. I didn't really practise at any tournaments I played in. I have been in Dubai for months. My results fell off. But you know, so what? I have probably got another 20-odd years of this. So I figured I can't keep playing non-stop snooker all of the time."
He continued, "I feel really good, fresh. I never had a break last season. It has been nice to have some time off and be back and feel fresh and happier. It did make me miss it. I was watching the snooker and thought, 'God, I have got to get back practising now.' I hadn't felt like that for ages. It felt like a chore for months. I feel good."
Lisowski will be facing Stuart Bingham in the second round at the Crucible on Saturday night. When asked about his break and what he did during his time off, Lisowski joked, "What would you do if you were 32 years old? What do you think I do? I jumped out of a plane last month. Yeah, that was crazy. My life is crazy. I have had a good six months. What can I say?"
But Lisowski also admitted that he was not interested in snooker for a while, but now feels rejuvenated and ready to compete. "I didn't really care for the last few months. I didn't care at all. I haven't done any work. I didn't want to speak to anyone about snooker. I didn't really care," he said. "That's just how it has been. It's life. It's ups and downs. Something just clicked in the last few weeks. Damn, I have got to qualify, I have got to go back and work and I have really enjoyed practising. I feel as sharp as I have done for a few years. It has been really good fun for me."
Lisowski also spoke about his upcoming match against Bingham and his chances of making a deep run in the tournament. "I've never beat him [Ding] in a game," he said. "It's good, my game is in a really good place. I thought it was a really good game, proved to a lot of people I've got bottle, I can take a lot from that match."
He added, "I've got a good chance of going further. But the standard of players left in the tournament... I've got a former world champion in the next game. Then possibly Ronnie, then possibly Judd. It's just so hard to win tournaments. I'm playing well, playing really good stuff, probably the best I've played so I feel really good."
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