Louis Heathcote says a trip to one of the best cities and venues on the World Snooker Tour is just the tonic after a drab season so far. The 29-year-old is heading to the Waterfront Hall in Belfast for the Northern Ireland Open, where he faces the huge test of Mark Selby on the opening Sunday.
The four-time world champion may be a daunting task – although Heathcote won their only previous meeting at this very venue – but the Hoover is just pleased to be back on a big stage in the sport. It has been a season mainly spent in qualifiers at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, and the former Belfast quarter-finalist is excited to spread his wings.
'I love Belfast'
'It's nice to have something to look forward to, going to a proper venue,' Heathcote told Metro. 'The one venue I've qualified for this year was Brentwood [for the English Open], which is basically like the Mattioli with people in there.'
'I love Belfast. I think the city's great. I love the Waterfront Hall. It's one of my favourite places to go on tour.'
Belfast is a popular city for players and fans alike, although it brings with it the challenge of temptation. 'You have to get yourself disciplined, that's for sure,' said Heathcote. 'You've played your match and it's six or seven o'clock, you walk past 10 pubs and they're all booming!'
'But when you're there for work it's pretty easy. It's a job where the biggest buzz you get is from playing in front of the crowd. So you keep your head down and if I do happen to get knocked out, I'm sure we'll be tackling a few Guinnesses.'
'Least enjoyable season'
Qualifiers played behind closed doors are nothing new, but the calendar has been reworked this season, with more tiered draws, meaning more rounds of qualifying for those outside the top 16. It has also seen blocks of qualifiers for multiple tournaments played weeks or even months before the main stages take place, which has not been very popular with players.
'It's been a really weird season. I started off alright, but it's been really hard to get any sort of momentum,' said Heathcote. 'You qualify for tournaments that are three months away. It's been stop-start, you feel a bit like a part-time player a lot of the time. It's not been very fun.'
'Financially it can be tough as well because you've got to wait three months for money to come in.' Prize money is paid out after a tournament is completed, so matches won in qualifying do not deliver financially for quite a while. It is especially difficult with Chinese tournaments as prize money is often not received until three months after the trophy is handed out, which could be five months after the qualifiers are played.
Although players are significantly helped on this front by the guarantee of £20,000 each season, set against prize money. 'Obviously we all understand there's going to be qualifiers, but I think the structure's been a real problem this year,' said the world number 67. 'I think it's been the least enjoyable season I've ever had as a pro.'
'With the gaps and feeling like you play 95 per cent of your matches behind closed doors, I don't think that's what you dream of as a kid growing up.'
Looking ahead
Heathcote has not just qualified for Northern Ireland but also the upcoming International Championship in Nanjing, so is feeling good in his game and trying to focus on the positives. 'It's frustrating because I'm probably doing the best I've ever done and I feel like the tour has taken a huge step back,' he said. 'But I try not to think about it too much because you find yourself getting angry at it all.'
'I feel like mentally I'm pretty good and quite a laid back, chilled person, so I take things in my stride. I feel like my game's in good shape and I'm going into next season in the highest ranking that I've been. So overall it's positive stuff.'
The Hoover is continuing his work with former top 16 player Anthony Hamilton, who is fast building a reputation as a very well respected coach, imparting his vast knowledge on younger players. 'He's a real good coach and he's one of the best guys you'll ever meet, so he's real easy to work with, we get along so well,' said Heathcote.
'He's an absolute legend, so it's a pleasure to work with him. The good thing is he knows exactly how you're feeling. He knows what to say at the right times and his snooker brain is just phenomenal. To be able to work with someone like that and spend a lot of time with him. It's an eye-opener into how there's so much more to the game than you think about.'
'To get to that next level, that's the stuff you need to unpack and he's helping me unpack that. I'm a bit of a slow burner, but everyone's journey's different and hopefully we'll get there eventually. I work hard on and off the table, so I've just got to keep digging and eventually it'll come. I'll get that break, have a jump up the rankings, a bit of money behind you, and winning starts to become a bit of an easier habit rather than blood sweat and tears every game.'
