Jack Lisowski got a frightening reminder at the Masters of how the crippling migraines from which he has suffered all his life could yet intervene at just the wrong moment to derail his bid to finally ditch the unwanted tag of ‘best player never to win a major title’.
The 31-year-old rightly enjoys a reputation for being one of the most naturally gifted and crowd-pleasing players on the circuit, with a dazzling array of shots at his disposal, cue power many would kill for, and all served up at breakneck speed.
‘Jackpot’ will take on Mark Williams in Saturday’s semi-final at Alexandra Palace, having already beaten John Higgins and Iran’s Hossein Vafaei for his first ever victories at the prestigious invitation tournament.
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The world No12 remains desperate to finally get his hands on one of the trophies that really count, having lost all six finals played so far albeit to a very high level of opponent in every case. But Lisowski got a real scare ahead of his Thursday evening quarter-final against Vafaei.
While Williams was beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in a Masters classic in the afternoon, the Cheltenham pro was forced to close the blinds and seek relief in sleep, with his sight badly affected by the attack, and headaches that had only just left by the time he took to the baize.
Lisowski said: “I actually didn’t see too much of Mark’s win against Ronnie. I watched the first frame and then got a migraine. I haven’t had a serious one of those for ages - a long, long time - and I’m not sure how or why I got it, maybe just sitting on my neck.
“But with my quarter-final coming up later I just panicked, turned all the lights out, and slept for three hours. I was really worried and scared that I might have lost the match against Hossein right there. But by the evening I could see again, just had a bit of a foggy head.
“I think it can be light that triggers it, sometimes my neck, before it used to be caffeine so I never drink coffee or Coke. But thank god my quarter-final was the 7pm one because if I had played earlier I wouldn’t have been able to hit the white ball in a straight line, let alone win. I couldn’t have seen what I was looking at.
“I just get a sort of a blind spot and I see a sort of visual orb, a moon where I am looking. It is really weird, I just have to close my eyes for a few hours and then you get the headaches. I have had them all my life and have learned how to deal with it by catching it early.
“But I was so determined not to let a foggy head stop me, even if I won the first two frames against Hossein almost on autopilot.
“I have been in finals as everyone knows but I just feel it is building. I haven’t won one yet, but I know I am going to and I want to win as many as I can. I think I have had a ten times better career than some players who have won one tournament.
“And for me it isn’t all about winning one, I want to win many and I believe I will. Being called the best player never to win a big title…it is what it is, and that’s just people’s opinions. It’s nice – but it doesn’t affect me apart from constantly having to answer questions about it.
“When I break my duck, it would be great not to have to answer that question ever again, for sure.
“I play snooker to try and entertain people. I could be a plodder and play lots of safety, but the reason I play is to make people enjoy it. It’s high-tariff stuff, but when it comes off, it’s lovely. I will keep playing those shots, they feel great when they go in – with just a little bit of safety thrown in.”
Lisowski is currently using former world champion Peter Ebdon as a coach, and while the marriage between the lighting-fast younger man and the teak-tough grinder may seem at first glance an unlikely one, it looks to be bearing fruit.
Ebdon said: “There’s an awful lot of effort that goes into it and I hope the players understand, and I think they do, that my heart and soul go into giving everything I can. Seeing the light bulb go on in their mind and the difference it makes when they realise what they’re capable of mentally, it really is an incredible thing to behold.
“When the players win, I feel their elation. When they get beat, it’s almost like I’ve been beaten as well, I feel shattered. To play a small part in the players’ success and to make a little bit of a difference, it means an awful lot to me because I know as well as anybody how hard it is to win.”
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