Mark Williams admitted his eyesight is getting worse following his first-round win (Image: Getty)
Snooker legend has made an alarming admission about his deteriorating eyesight. The three-time world champion defeated Ding Junhui 6-2 in a scrappy first-round match at the Players Championship in Telford. Both players were well short of their best in an attritional contest, with Williams only registering a top break of 64.
Despite having won this season’s Champion of Champions tournament, Williams, who turns 50 this week, admitted that this season has been a struggle due to vision issues. He told ITV: “It is a good win for me because, if I am totally honest with you, my eyes have completely gone. For the last six months, it has deteriorated quite badly. It was just long ones that were blurry, but now everything is blurry.”
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Williams will face world champion Kyren Wilson, who defeated defeated Mark Allen 6-3, in the quarter-finals. The Players Championship will be followed by the Tour Championship in Manchester before the World Championship at the Crucible.
Given the magnitude of the events to come, Williams admits he is worried. He added: “It is a bit concerning but I have got to get on with it at the minute. I will see what happens after the Worlds.
“The big scoreboard at the end of the table, I can’t even see it, I can’t make it out. It is all a blur and is getting worse by the month, so it is a good win for me considering I am half-blind!
“It’s mad. It has got to a stage if anything’s close I have no idea if they go, so I just go for them. It is hard enough playing anyway, but when you are playing safeties and long pots, you are guessing.”
Williams says he will make a decision after the World Championship amid his eyesight issues (Image: Getty)
Regardless of his sight issues, Williams will find it tough against Wilson, who was impressive against defending champion Allen. The Warrier came on strong in the later stages of the contest, with three consecutive half-centuries proving enough to wrap up the win.
“I’ve just thrived off winning my world title. It’s given me so much confidence and I feel like that’s showing in my performances,” said Wilson after the match.
Allen, who needed a win to retain any hope of reaching the Tour Championship, had responded well to Wilson’s opening 87 with a break of 125 to pull level at 1-1. The Northern Irishman then hauled back a two-frame deficit to level at 3-3 before the world champion responded with breaks of 66, 74 and 53 to go through.