Snooker may not be an athletic or explosive sport, but success still depends on physical attributes that should favour younger players.
O’Sullivan keeps himself fit by running, but it is harder to ward off other aspects of ageing, such as deteriorating eyesight, which Williams knows only too well.
“It makes me laugh. I need glasses for everything: reading, middle distance [potting], long distance [potting], everything,” Williams told BBC Sport in September.
The Welshman has been considering having lens replacement surgery but has postponed it three times, most recently in November, mainly because he keeps winning.
Williams may be benefitting from what psychologists call the brain’s neuroplasticity.
Zoe Wimshurst, who helps coach athletes make the best use of their vision, explained that as long as an athlete does not have an eye condition, such as cataracts, the brain has the capability to adapt to reduced vision.
“Everyone, by the time you get to your mid-30s, maybe early 40s, you’ll notice that the lens of the eye really stiffens,” she said.
“[But] our brains will constantly adjust to the challenges we put them under, and this continues throughout our lifespan, even into really old age.
“But, even if it is not your eyesight, it may be other parts of your body that let you down.”
“Somewhere down the line in a fine muscle control game like snooker, your body betrays your brain,” Davis said.
“Your arm doesn’t do what’s required. The first thing I felt was that yes, I hit the ball in a straight line, but I didn’t hit it at the right pace.
“The weight of the delivery is the thing that will happen and there’s no real way out of that. That’s going to happen.”
O’Sullivan’s work with Peters has coincided with careful management of his body and he has often stressed the importance of diet to his success.
“He doesn’t drink, he eats proper food,” 1979 UK champion John Virgo said. “You wouldn’t think he was 50, I mean, he still looks 30!”
Williams has also had a recent nutrition-based epiphany, revealing in 2024 he had introduced a pre-match meal, which he says sustains his energy through long evening sessions.
And while Higgins lost more than three stone in 2021, something he attributed to regular spin classes, he now says that weight has gone “back on” but that he is installing a gym at home to change things and get “a little bit more motivation”.
