John Higgins suffered a quarter-final defeat at the Crucible to Mark Selby (Picture: Getty Images)
John Higgins said he could be considering retirement next year unless he improves his performances, after a World Championship quarter-final defeat to Mark Selby.
The Wizard of Wishaw played brilliantly to reach the last eight at the Crucible but came up against a firing Selby who was too strong for him and won 13-7.
It has been a quiet season for the 47-year-old, with his run in Sheffield only his second ranking quarter-final of the campaign.
The Scot was seeded 10th for this World Championship but fears that his top 16 place is under threat if his performances don’t improve.
If he did slip out of the elite group, for the first time since 1995, then he admits that he would be considering his future in the game.
‘Poor season, no getting away from that,’ he said. ‘I’ll definitely have to come back next year and produce a better standard and have a better season.
‘If not it will look like I’m probably falling out of the top 16, then when you do that, there could be a few questions in my own mind, I suppose.’
Asked whether that would mean retirement, he said: ‘We’ll need to wait and see next year.
Mark Selby played superbly to beat Higgins on Wednesday night (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Even when you’re in the top 16, it’s as if you’re playing a series of qualifiers anyway. So it’s not like it’s a totally alien situation you’d be putting yourself in.
‘But if that had to come I’d be nearly 50…so we’ll wait and see.’
Selby does not think that the time is nearing for a Higgins retirement, feeling that it was likely just disappointment after a Crucible defeat.
‘No. Nowhere near,’ Selby said of the possibility. ‘It’s tough when you lose matches, especially in this tournament. When you’re speaking to you guys after a loss a lot of it is heat of the moment stuff.
‘You’ve only got to look a couple of days ago, he played unbelievable against Kyren. You can’t become a bad player overnight.
‘I wouldn’t take too much into that. He’s a class act, he’ll be back and there’s no reason he can’t win this again.’
MORE : Mark Selby powers past John Higgins to set up Mark Allen World Championship semi-final
MORE : Mark Selby reflects on ‘madness’ of string of John Higgins matches at the Crucible
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‘There could be a few questions in my own mind.’