September 8th 2024.
Tony Drago is gearing up for an exciting weekend of snooker as he prepares to face off against two of his old friends and rivals, Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry. The Seniors 900 tournament in Hull promises to be a thrilling event with other top players like Ken Doherty, Igor Figueiredo, and Barry Pinches also in the line-up.
Drago is particularly looking forward to his match against White, whom he considers a good pal. They may not talk every day, but when they do, it's always special. As for Hendry, the record between them may not be in Drago's favor, but he fondly remembers the three times he managed to beat the Scottish legend in just two months. Hendry, on the other hand, never forgets it either, as he keeps bringing it up in their conversations.
Their head-to-head record stands at 15-3 in Hendry's favor, with Drago's hat-trick of wins coming in the German Masters, Irish Open, and Masters in the 1998-99 season. Drago himself had a go at the amateur version of The 900 in 2022 and is excited to have another shot at it in the Seniors event, after watching Hendry and Doherty win the previous tournaments.
Despite his fast-paced style on the table, Drago is not a big fan of the Shoot Out format used in professional tournaments. He finds it too noisy and distracting and prefers to have a quiet and focused atmosphere when playing. He believes that the worst decision was to make it a ranking event and hopes it will not happen again in the future.
When not playing, Drago is an avid fan of snooker and has been keeping up with the Saudi Arabia Masters, which he predicts will continue to grow and may eventually offer a million-pound first prize in the World Championship. He admits that while he loves the traditional venue of the Crucible, it may not be able to accommodate the growing number of spectators. He also expects the atmosphere to be very different in Saudi Arabia, where the audience is not likely to show much respect to the players.
Drago is in good health and high spirits again after revealing his struggles with mental health at this year's World Seniors Championship. He assures fans that it's all in the past now and he's focused and ready to compete. Despite not playing regularly anymore, Drago still has the skills to make a big impact in the tournament, as evident from his semi-final runs in the last two World Seniors Championships.
At almost 59 years of age, Drago is not as young as he used to be and has no plans of traveling the world for competitions anymore. However, he is excited for the Seniors 900 tournament in Hull, which he has missed in the past due to Covid restrictions. He's looking forward to facing off against some of the best players and believes it will be a great event. The tournament will be broadcast live on Channel 5, starting at 1pm on Sunday, September 8th.
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