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Graeme Dott has confirmed that he will play in this year's 888.com World Championship in Sheffield.
Earlier in the week, the man from Larkhall, who won the world title in 2006, revealed he was suffering from depression after having spent more than a a year with personal worries.
For the last four weeks, Dott has been with the sports psychologist, Bob Burns, and, although the player admits he still has a "long way to go" in his rehabilitation process, the world No.2 will be at the famous Crucible Theatre for the biggest tournament of the season.
"It's the toughest decision of my career, but I'm going to play," said Dott. "I didn't want to let myself down in Sheffield, it's been a really bad year for me and I have felt so very low at times.
"I also didn't want to let my fans down and also Joe Perry who he plays in the first round. I desperately wanted to play, but I've not been in the right frame of mind for quite some time, my results have shown that. However, hope-fully I will be able to cope with Sheffield. I'm not going there with any expectations."
Dott was upset when his father-in-law and former manager Alex Lambie died in 2006 following a long battle against cancer. Weeks later, Dott's wife Elaine suffered a miscarriage and she also went through a cancer scare.
She has since been given the all clear and the couple, who have a son, Lewis, came through the trauma by pulling together.
"It has been a tough time for us all, but I've been bottling things up now for a while," said Dott, who will receive a guaranteed £10,600 worth of prize-money just for playing.
More importantly, now that he has slipped down to No.12 in the provisional rankings, valuable points are on offer to cement his position in the top 16. "My career took off when I won the world championship, and then I won the China Open, but then there has been a lot of heartache in my life. Alex's death really affected me and Elaine's cancer scare was a real shock. It put snooker into perspective and what is important in life."
Dott is scheduled to start his Crucible campaign on Tuesday against Joe Perry, with their best-of-19 frame match to be played to a finish the following morning.
If Dott wins his match, he would play either the six-times world champion, Steve Davis, or Stuart Bingham in the second round.
Earlier in the week, the man from Larkhall, who won the world title in 2006, revealed he was suffering from depression after having spent more than a a year with personal worries.
For the last four weeks, Dott has been with the sports psychologist, Bob Burns, and, although the player admits he still has a "long way to go" in his rehabilitation process, the world No.2 will be at the famous Crucible Theatre for the biggest tournament of the season.
"It's the toughest decision of my career, but I'm going to play," said Dott. "I didn't want to let myself down in Sheffield, it's been a really bad year for me and I have felt so very low at times.
"I also didn't want to let my fans down and also Joe Perry who he plays in the first round. I desperately wanted to play, but I've not been in the right frame of mind for quite some time, my results have shown that. However, hope-fully I will be able to cope with Sheffield. I'm not going there with any expectations."
Dott was upset when his father-in-law and former manager Alex Lambie died in 2006 following a long battle against cancer. Weeks later, Dott's wife Elaine suffered a miscarriage and she also went through a cancer scare.
She has since been given the all clear and the couple, who have a son, Lewis, came through the trauma by pulling together.
"It has been a tough time for us all, but I've been bottling things up now for a while," said Dott, who will receive a guaranteed £10,600 worth of prize-money just for playing.
More importantly, now that he has slipped down to No.12 in the provisional rankings, valuable points are on offer to cement his position in the top 16. "My career took off when I won the world championship, and then I won the China Open, but then there has been a lot of heartache in my life. Alex's death really affected me and Elaine's cancer scare was a real shock. It put snooker into perspective and what is important in life."
Dott is scheduled to start his Crucible campaign on Tuesday against Joe Perry, with their best-of-19 frame match to be played to a finish the following morning.
If Dott wins his match, he would play either the six-times world champion, Steve Davis, or Stuart Bingham in the second round.
Thinking about supporting Graeme for the first time ever in this championship. Get well soon!
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