The trio of Neil Robertson, John Higgins and Ricky Walden all head to the Players Championship this week after recovering from bouts of Covid in recent weeks.
The pandemic rumbles on and it continues to impact the snooker tour, although luckily for the three men in question, the only tournament withdrawal was Robertson from last week’s Championship League.
The Australian revealed his positive test on 28 January, which led to him pulling out of the Championship League, replaced by Walden.
Robertson won the Masters earlier in January, but that was after suffering from pulsatile tinnitus in late 2021, which has all been part of his ‘strange season’ so far.
‘Suspicions correct and have tested positive for Covid,’ Robertson tweeted. ‘[Wife] Mille has ordered me to stay in my man cave for five days. While that is appealing I do feel like absolute crap with body aches. Quite a strange season I’m having.’
Robertson will be returning to action against Kyren Wilson on Monday night after missing his Championship League group last week.
In his absence, Higgins won the tournament but revealed that he suffered with Covid between the Masters and that success in Leicester.
‘I played the Masters and then I had Covid,’ Higgins told the Sunday Post. ‘It was nigh-on exactly a year to the day since I first contracted it, which forced me to pull out of the German Masters [in 2021].
‘I had it, as did my wife. So I wasn’t great for a few days. I’m all fine now, but I had a couple of days in my bed with fly symptoms.’
A few days away from the table seemed to do Higgins no harm as he claimed the Championship League title for a third time, beating Yan Bingtao in the semis and Stuart Bingham in the final on Friday.
‘I was probably meant to win,’ said Higgins. ‘Yan should’ve put me out in the semis. I had no pressure on me in the final. Stuart has been the best player over the last two days.
‘I played the best I’ve played in the last two days in the final. I struggled a bit. I am delighted to win.
‘I’ve had some good match practice over the last couple of days. I am looking forward to Wolverhampton as well. Within my own self, I do not believe I have played any better [than winning the Players Championship last season].’
Walden also showed that you can quickly return to form after a spell with Covid after a run to the semi-finals of the German Masters, despite still suffering with some lasting effects from the virus.
The Gladiator reached the semi-finals, beating Robertson, Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson along the way, despite not feeling great for the first two matches.
‘I’d only just recovered from Covid, I’d been isolating for 10 days and then I wasn’t feeling too good,’ Walden told Metro.co.uk of his German Masters campaign. ‘I still had a banging headache for the Robertson and Brecel games, so I was just simplifying my game really, which probably helped.
‘I only started feeling better against Kyren. It was a good run though, good to be playing in front of the crowd again, I feel as though it’s just the start really, making steps forward.’
Walden plays his first Players Championship match on Tuesday evening against Mark Allen, while Higgins takes on Hossein Vafaei on Wednesday afternoon.
MORE : Ricky Walden: I thought my career was done but this is just the start
MORE : It’s good to talk: Gary Wilson’s mental health journey can inspire Mark Selby
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Snooker News Click Here
