Few can argue that Ali Carter has been one of the more unlucky players on the snooker circuit. Although he has been in the elite top 16 players for many years, he is now forced to take a break from snooker having been diagnosed with lung cancer just two weeks ago.Carter, 34, who is also a qualified airline pilot, has been struggling with illness dating as far back as 2003. This article will briefly cover Ali Carter’s career, health, and his chances of returning to the snooker circuit next year.
Health
Back in 2003 Carter was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Crohn’s disease, which he has been able to control to a certain extent with a strict gluten-free diet. Ten years later in July 2013, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. A day after surgery, he was back on the circuit, and two months later he headed for the Shanghai Masters.
By April 2014 he felt he needed a six-month break from snooker, but his place in the top 16 was so valuable he stayed playing. A month after this he was diagnosed with lung cancer, which would see him out of the sport indefinitely as he receives treatment.
Many words of support have been shared by his fellow professionals. Neil Robertson tweeted:
“Shocking news about Ali Carter. Thoughts are with him and his family. Hopefully can make a full recovery.
Fellow Essex professional Stuart Bingham tweeted:
“Thoughts are with @TheCaptain147 and his family. Keep punching mate. All the best x”
Career
Since he turned professional in 1996, Carter was quick to jump onto the snooker circuit. By 1999 he had made his first career semi-final in the Grand Prix. He wouldn’t make another semi-final until 2007 in the Malta Cup, but he remained consistent and a tough player to beat.
From 2003 onwards, Carter had never dropped out of the top 20 players in the world. Ironically this was around the same time as his Crohn’s disease diagnosis. Credit must be given to Carter for the way he has controlled his illness and not let it affect his performances. In fact the majority of snooker viewers would never have associated Carter with the disease!
It took Carter 13 years as a professional before he claimed his first victory on the circuit in 2009. By defeating the likes of Graeme Dott, Jimmy White and Shaun Murphy, he claimed the title of Welsh Open Champion. In the 2013/14 season, Carter’s health problems began to take their toll on his snooker. After a last 16 exit in the Wuxi Classic, Carter was forced to withdraw from the next two events for the health reasons stated above.
This is the biggest shock to the snooker world since 2006, which saw the tragic loss of former Masters Champion Paul Hunter who died from a rare disease at the age of 27. Carter has been ranked as high as Number 2 in the world and is nicknamed “The Captain” as he is also a qualified pilot, a qualification he achieved when he was on a break from snooker.
I certainly hope this isn’t the end for the 3 times rank event winner. WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson sent his support to Carter and his family:
“Ali is the toughest competitor I know and having spoken to him over the last few days I can assure everyone he has the fight to get through the battle ahead. I know that the world will be looking forward to Ali returning to action and I am sure that all of our friends, fans and partners will join with me in wishing Ali a full recovery.”
Carter is expected to slip heavily down the world rankings as a result of his diagnosis, and should he make a full recovery – which we all hope he does – then he will have a tough though very different battle to return to snooker’s elite top 16.
Comments are closed.