John Higgins left snooker followers questioning about life with out the Scotsman after he teased his potential retirement on Monday.

The four-time world champion bowed out of the Tour Championship on the first hurdle, shedding 10-7 in Manchester to Mark Allen.

Higgins made seven half-century contributions and was degree at 6-6 heading into the final mid-session interval.

However Allen compiled a few centuries and a run of 93 as he took three of the final 4 frames for victory.

The Pistol is hoping so as to add to his tally of three titles from this time period that already consists of the Gamers Championship from this collection of occasions primarily based on the one-year rankings.

But the discuss of the city afterwards surrounded feedback Higgins made in his post-match interview reside on tv.

The 48 year-old, who has lengthy been pissed off together with his incapability to translate type into extra silverware, offered a cryptic clue that the tip of his profession could be close to.

“I assumed Mark performed very nicely tonight,” John Higgins, the present world quantity 10, mentioned on ITV.

“I ought to have been in entrance at this time, 4-4. Then I assumed Mark performed higher tonight. I missed two or three unforgivable balls at this degree, you can’t afford to overlook.”

“My lengthy sport was actually non-existent as nicely. At this degree, it’s not ok towards the perfect gamers.

“I simply have to mud myself down. [It’s] a few weeks earlier than the Worlds. Try to get some good follow, and go there and provides it a last go, possibly.”

Whether or not or not the ultimate go he’s referring to is a final try at touchdown a fifth Crucible crown stays to be seen.

Higgins has under no circumstances been a spent pressure in current occasions, often showing on the latter phases of occasions all through this season.

Nevertheless, he has failed so as to add to his spectacular tally of 31 rating titles – ok for third on the all-time listing – since being topped the 2021 Gamers Championship winner.

For somebody who has been so used to having trophies in his cupboard, proper from the very starting of his profession, the barren spell should be past irritating.

Higgins memorably misplaced 5 finals – 4 of them in rating occasions – in the course of the 2021/22 marketing campaign as he struggled to recover from the profitable line when seemingly answerable for title-deciding showdowns.

That, in fact, got here shortly after he misplaced three World Championship finals in a row between 2017 and 2019.

Even somebody as esteemed because the Wizard of Wishaw, who boasts virtually 1,000 profession centuries, could have psychological bruises from so many painful reverses.

Bowing out on the prime whereas nonetheless a member of the highest 16 can be a shocking method to exit the game, if that’s what he chooses.

However snooker gamers aren’t any strangers to the specter of retirement, and it wouldn’t essentially be a shock if he backtracks on these feedback later both.

Allen, in the meantime, will meet Ding Junhui within the quarter-finals of the Tour Championship – their opening session going down on Wednesday night.

2024 Tour Championship Draw

Spherical of 12 (bo19)

Matches to be performed on April 1st and 2nd.
Occasions in UTC.

Mark Williams (8) 5-3 Tom Ford (9)
Tues, 7pm

Mark Allen (5) 10-7 John Higgins (12)

Gary Wilson (6) 5-3 Mark Selby (11)
Tues, 1pm

Barry Hawkins (7) vs Ali Carter (10)
Tues, 1pm and 7pm

Quarter-Finals (bo19)

Matches to be performed on April third and 4th.
Occasions in UTC.

Judd Trump (1) vs Williams/Ford
Thurs, 1pm and 7pm

Ding Junhui (4) vs Mark Allen (5)
Wed, 7pm and Thurs, 7pm

Zhang Anda (3) vs Wilson/Selby
Wed, 1pm and Thurs, 1pm

Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) vs Hawkins/Carter
Wed, 1pm and 7pm

Semi-Finals (bo19)

Matches to be performed on April fifth and sixth.
Occasions in UTC.

TBC vs TBC
Sat, 1pm and 7pm

TBC vs TBC
Fri, 1pm and 7pm

Ultimate (bo19)

Match to be performed on April seventh.
Occasions in UTC.

TBC vs TBC
Solar, 1pm and 7pm

Featured photograph credit score: WST