Ben Woollaston: World No. 57 snooker makes a comeback after suffering from chronic fatigue

Ben Woollaston says he is starting to believe he can return to world snooker's top 30 after years of battling chronic fatigue.

The 36-year-old previously reached No. 27 in the world rankings, but illness has slowed his career in recent years.

He said there were times when he felt uncertain about his future, but an upturn in his performance over the past year and improved health in recent months has made him optimistic again.

“I know what I'm capable of,” he said.

“And I think quite a few of the other players know that I'm a better player than my results have shown over the last few years.

“Yes, I still want to compete and win tournaments.

“I really think that if I get completely well, even if I get through this, I can get back to where I was or better.”

Woollaston, currently ranked 57th in the world, has been competing on the Snooker World Tour since 2009.

His best performance came in 2021 before his illness, when he came close to winning the 2020 Championship League, but fell short to Belgium's Luca Bressel.

The father-of-two, who lives in Leicestershire, was suffering from chronic fatigue, low energy and dizziness, which meant he could barely pick up his cues.

“Given the amount of practice I've put in and how I feel, I think I've done well enough to keep me at a professional level,” he told BBC Radio Leicester.

“For six months I was bedridden, sleeping 18 or 20 hours a day, and couldn't stand up without feeling like I was going to pass out again.

“It's not perfect right now, but we've definitely made progress in the last three or four months.

“Before, if I tried to practice for an hour on a good day, I would get exhausted. It was hard to stand for that long. So it was really hard. I have two people, so It's been hard on the family too.'' The boys and I can't even kick a soccer ball with them. ”

Woollaston said winning back-to-back games and reaching the last 16 at the British Championships at York's Barbican Center at the end of 2021 was an unexpected leap forward in his recovery at the time.

In recent months, he has managed to build up his stamina at the tables, practicing longer and more often against other pros.

“I went from 30th to 63rd in the world rankings,” he said of falling down the rankings while dealing with the worst health issues.

“I wasn’t playing, I was just in a tournament where there was maybe an hour of play over a few weeks.

“I was just trying to get through the match and had no expectations of winning at all, but then I won some matches in the British Championship which was a big surprise.

“Hopefully in the next 12 months we'll see another big improvement because most days I feel like I'm at 60 or 70 percent, but I'm hoping to get to 100 percent. Never.

“I just have to keep moving forward and be positive that I can have a week where I win the tournament.”