Anthony Hamilton has had a good beginning to his 33rd season as a snooker player, but he is thinking about retiring and excited for it.
The Pottingham Sheriff is now 52 years old, but he is still considered as the 36th best in the world. He started his latest challenge by winning his first group in the Championship League, and he also won in both the European Masters and British Open qualifiers.
Hamilton is still very good at what he does, but he is getting ready for the end of his career. He believes this will happen in the next three years.
Although he still likes playing matches and some of his practice sessions, injuries have been a constant problem for him for a long time. He is eagerly anticipating leaving behind the hard work and preparation for tournaments.
When asked if he took a break from playing snooker during the summer, Hamilton replied, “Oh yes, definitely. I try to take as long of a break as possible. ”
After I stop working, I won’t play anymore. That’s the end because if you take a break now and come back, it feels really bad because you’ve lost your ability. If I have to do that for a whole year, it would be the worst thing ever.
When I am around 70 years old and haven’t played for a long time, I will go to the nearby place and have two glasses of Guinness beer with my friend while playing five matches. That would be good, instead of taking a cautious shot, score a low amount of points and be satisfied with two Guinness beers during lunchtime. That’s okay, that sounds enjoyable. Doing something different from that feels like unnecessary suffering.
I really like playing games, they’re so exciting. I like the process of practicing, but I need something to motivate me to practice. Playing without a carrot would be a waste of a day. I don’t want to do that, I prefer being outdoors and going on many trips. You are always inside your house because you don’t have a choice. It’s a pleasant idea to think about what you would do next without worrying too much. I believe I will be happier.
I’m really looking forward to retiring. I have a small plan. I plan to continue playing until I reach the age of 55. After paying off some debts, I can live with very little money for a while and then transition into coaching. That’s the idea.
If I can continue playing for three more seasons, I will retire from the tour even if I’m still part of it. I’m tired of feeling sick and in pain all the time. And I have to deal with the overly complicated snooker that I am playing too. I am doing it in order to earn money and continue being part of the tour, but it is not very pleasant. So basically, retirement means not having to fear it, I’m really excited for it.
I will try my best with the time I have left, but I don’t think my body will improve. It takes a lot of effort to prepare my body for a game. I have to do things like icing, heating, stretching, and exercising to stay fit. It’s a full-time job to stay healthy and avoid missing tournaments due to injuries.
It’s a good idea because you have the opportunity to play and have the chance to win. Winning a match now feels much better than winning five or six matches in a row when I was 30. I understand how much work it takes just to be present.
The Sheriff is experiencing a lot of injuries and health problems, especially with his back, neck, and eyes. When asked which one is bothering him the most, he said, “Everything. ”
My lower back hurts a lot right now. A few days ago, my back hurt so much that I had to lie down on the floor. It includes almost everything from the hips and above. The spine is injured, but everything is linked to it.
It’s just getting old, that’s what’s happening. This means that something is becoming older and less new. There is a reason why almost all athletes are younger than 50 years old.
Hamilton is being hard on himself when he calls his snooker boring. However, it is true that he takes longer to make his shots now compared to before. As a result, his matches tend to be longer.
“It’s never planned,” he said. The plan is to arrive, take out your cue stick, hit a red ball into a pocket that is far away, and score one hundred points. Do this every time. But as you keep going, you become deeply involved in whatever you have to do in order to succeed.
Sometimes, I cannot see or move well, so I end up playing music in a way that I don’t even recognize. It happens naturally without me realizing it.
I don’t intentionally make things difficult for players, I just don’t want to lose. So when you play your D, E, F game, your experience helps you make it difficult for other players. But I don’t want to play in that way, I want to score 80 points with every poke, that would be wonderful.
It may sound a little negative, but I actually feel very positive about it. You need to be strong because the situation is difficult. If I’m not feeling good about it, I might eventually decide to give up on everything.
‘But I do know that watching snooker is not exciting, unfortunately I’m not currently in the mood to entertain the audience. ‘ I am currently working hard to provide food for my family. I’m sorry if any players, now or later, have to endure it, but I’m only doing whatever it takes to win a game.
I don’t want anyone I care about to see it because it’s really bad. I enjoy being by myself because I can achieve small victories on my own without relying on others. I can save money and feel pleased that I haven’t upset anyone.
The Sheriff is really good at scoring a lot of points in a single turn in the game. He has already achieved this three times this season. However, he is also willing to work hard and face challenges in the game. He enjoys giving new players a tough competition like the old style of playing.
Chinese teenager Xing Zihao had his first match on the tour at the Championship League in July. He played against the Sheriff, who is an experienced player, and unfortunately lost 3-0. The Sheriff even won the last frame, even though he needed to get three snookers.
“That was his first professional match, and he must have been in 15 consecutive difficult situations. ” Hamilton explained ‘He probably thought, “What did I get myself into. ”
‘But he seems very talented. I saw him practicing earlier and he was really impressive. ‘ The young people from China are very smart, but they need to learn how to play the game. I hope someone is helping them because they have a lot of talent.
The previous champion of the German Masters has a lot of wise advice to give to younger players. However, he thinks that many young players make mistakes with basic things.
Hamilton believes that the main thing his younger opponents are doing wrong is not having enough experience. He also thinks that experience can’t be rushed. They can do simple things, like placing the white (object) on the side of the table that is most risky for escaping.
‘Simple safety shots are not actually that simple. If you observe players like Ronnie or Selby, or even sometimes me, you will notice that we always try to aim for the most difficult positions. ‘
Many players make the mistake of hitting the ball too hard and not considering the position for the next shot. This can lead to a difficult situation for them, as they leave an opportunity for their opponent to easily take a shot.
It means that it is not only about having experience, but also about having a mindset of making the most out of every opportunity. Many children only get happy when there is a long game on and an opportunity to participate and win points. Keep an eye on Selby, he’s working hard on a shot that doesn’t look important, but he knows that it will bring him benefits in three shots.
Another, simpler piece of advice for players and those in the professional game is to have fun or try to, because they are living a dream.
“He said that he’s not trying to be preachy and he would give the same advice to himself when he was 25. ” I really like watching the matches, and I am very interested in them.
I want the younger players to have fun because they have a really good job. That is one piece of advice you would give to the younger generation. It might sound very serious, but you should still find joy in it because we have achieved great success by doing it in the beginning.
‘It can be difficult to have fun in the moment because it’s tough to win against someone who is extremely strong, but if you make sure to enjoy the time after and look forward to the next match, you will gain something from it. But it can be tough to stay on tour, as everyone is competing fiercely. This can make things very stressful and sometimes you may even question where the fun went.
This season, people seem to be having more fun on tour because there are more chances to play, thanks to the Chinese events coming back. Hamilton is happy to see that players are feeling better after the tough times of the pandemic, even though it might not last a long time.
“He said that the players are mostly feeling positive about things. ” ‘There’s a lot of things available. ‘ We’ll have 13, 14, and 15 tournaments again. Isn’t that great.
No complaining It’s strange that players are not complaining, it’s like a rare event that rarely happens. But it is pleasant, it’s favorable.
The happy group of snooker players, including Hamilton, are going to Nuremberg this week for the European Masters. The Sheriff will challenge another skilled young player, Louis Heathcote, in the last 64 on Wednesday, August 23rd.