Ali Carter is a snooker player with an existence beyond the obsessive pursuit of 147s. For starters they call him "The Captain" because of his penchant for flying planes over the Essex countryside.
Carter returns to Sheffield tomorrow for the start of the world championship, one year after his first appearance in the Crucible final. Though Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated him on that occasion, he was far from downhearted.
"Certain things happened that made me realise snooker's not really that important," says the quietly-spoken Carter in the basement of the Royal Automobile Club on London's Pall Mall. "It put things into perspective, that's why my outlook has changed and I think that's why I'm doing so well now."
Six years ago Carter was diagnosed with Crohn's disease – an inflammation of the gut with symptoms that can include stomach pain, diarrhoea and sickness. "That was a big blow for me, it's very difficult to live with, but I make the best of it," Carter says. "When I was badly ill I thought: 'I don't care about anything — just take everything away from me. As long as I've got my health.' If anyone's very ill they can tell you exactly how I feel, and it's important to look back at those times, it helps when you're struggling in your career."
The 29-year-old has to monitor his diet and manage the condition when he is playing. "It's a funny old thing. Sometimes you feel very lethargic. But, we've all got our little things to deal with and that's mine."
Carter won his first ranking tournament in February, coming from 5–2 down to defeat Joe Swail 9–5 in the Welsh Open final. Now, he is "provisionally number two [in the world] on the one year list. Winning my first tournament was a massive achievement, a big confidence booster and I'm looking forward to the World Championship."
The recent blooming of Carter, who plays Gerard Greene, a qualifier, in his opening match in Sheffield, can be traced back to his long-reaching determination — "some people learn quicker than others but I've got there at a steady rate" — and those life-altering experiences.
Carter's understated toughness is matched by his honesty. He freely admits that the nine-year gap between winning the Benson and Hedges Championship and last year's Crucible breakthrough provoked questions within.
"There was a time a couple of years ago when things weren't going well, I looked at other things like becoming an airline pilot," he says. "Now I've got my PPL [Private Pilot's Licence] and my friend owns an aeroplane which I've got access to."
Carter's dead-eye under the snooker lights is also handy when zipping around the skies. "In a light aircraft it's very roller-coasterly because you're only doing 150 knots, and obviously on final approach, if the wind gets hold of you, it takes quite a lot of skill to make a good landing," he says with a little understatement.
"I'm looking forward to getting the world champs over, then I can get back into it."
How did he begin? "I met a guy up the snooker club who was a pilot and owned a light aircraft. He said, 'Do you fancy coming for a flight?' So I did and he let me take the controls bit by bit."
Carter now owns the Rivermead Snooker Club in Chelmsford and still practises there, despite increasing success meaning he is not often left uninterrupted. "Not always, but its part of the job. You can't have it all ways."
True. But, if he can win a single match more at the Crucible this year to become world champion, Carter may have to build his club a private room.