John Higgins has opened up about his future in snooker following a narrow 17-15 semi-final defeat to Shaun Murphy at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
The Wizard of Wishaw, who celebrates his 51st birthday this month, came agonisingly close to reaching a ninth Crucible final after defeating Ali Carter, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson in earlier rounds.
His run fell just short of making him the oldest Triple Crown finalist in history.
Despite remaining firmly among the sport's elite, the four-time world champion anticipates stepping away from professional snooker once his ranking slips outside the top 16.
That scenario appears distant given his current form, but Higgins acknowledges his remarkable career is approaching its conclusion.
Having held seeded status at every World Championship since 1996, Higgins struggles to imagine himself competing in qualifying rounds for prestigious tournaments.
"I don't think I can see myself having to qualify for big events," he explained.
"I know we have to qualify for a lot of the Chinese events, but I think other players are doing that, so I could be on the next table and go to a Mark Selby or a Neil Robertson who's qualifying for the same event.
"But I don't know if I would like to go to qualifiers when I know the other best players are already seeded into these big events. I don't know if I could handle that."
The Scot emphasised that three decades competing at the highest level makes the prospect of starting from qualifying stages particularly difficult to accept.
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"I don't think so. No, I don't think so. Not when I think I've been doing it for so long at a certain position," he added.
"You could just go on that downward spiral and you don't ever think you're going to go off it to get back up there."
The Crucible Theatre will host the World Championship until 2045 under an extended agreement, though a renovation project means the tournament will relocate temporarily after 2028 for at least one year, possibly two.
Higgins expressed confidence about competing until construction begins but doubts he will return to the refurbished venue.
"I think I'll be doing well to be back here playing it," he admitted, suggesting 2030 or beyond seems unlikely for his participation.
Murphy paid tribute to his opponent after their gruelling four-session encounter, describing the experience as exhausting yet exhilarating.
"A match with John, four sessions, World semi-final. It doesn't get much more difficult than that," Murphy said.
"What a player, what a man. The harder it gets, the better he seems to play. No wonder he's been such a great champion over the years."
The victor also reflected on what Higgins' longevity means for his own aspirations in the sport.
"And if I'm half the player that he is when I'm in my 50s, then I feel like I've done something right," Murphy added.
Murphy will face Wu Yize in the final, with the Chinese star overcoming Mark Allen.
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