Sipping on a cup of black coffee at the Karnataka State Billiards Association, Aditya Mehta is not a happy man. He has just lost a match to Yogesh Kumar, in the national selection camp for the upcoming Asian snooker championship. Mehta would have been the clear favourite not too long ago, but not anymore.
A serious neck injury has pulled Mehta down, and he is struggling to cope with it. The big dip in his game is a tough pill to swallow, given that until a year ago, he was holding his own against the best of the best on the professional World Snooker Tour.
The first to 147
In 2013, Mehta defeated the likes of Mark Williams and Stephen Maguire on his way to the final of the Indian Open. A year later, at the Paul Hunter Classic, Mehta made history, becoming the first Indian to make an official 147 maximum break.
- Making a living on the pro tour
- I didn't make any money. At the end of my 10 years on the pro tour, I broke even. Life in England is expensive. It's tough to make good money, but things are better now. A top-50 player can make well over £100,000. After taking expenses into account, he can pocket £20,000-E30,000 per year, which is quite good.
- Judd Trump's World Championship victory
- He is ridiculously talented. I was really happy when Judd won, because of late, snooker was being ruled by the old guard-Ronnie, Higgins and Mark Williams. We needed an injection of youth. The exciting brand of snooker that Judd plays is good for the sport.
- Ronnie O'Sullivan in real life
- I've spoken to Ronnie and practised with him quite a lot. He's a very nice guy, but he values his privacy. He doesn't Uke being hounded. We often practise at the same club, and all the club members know that they should not disturb him.
- Socialising on tour
- Everyone has their gang, so it's not like I hang out regularly with guys like Ronnie, Mark Selby or Higgins However, when we're playing in China, all the players usually go to an Irish bar at night. If you are at the same bar, everyone sits at the same table. I've had a few beers with Mark Allen, Matthew Stevens, Higgins and others. It's great fun.
Around this time, his neck began to trouble him. Mehta took painkillers in order to continue competing — a decision he would come to regret.
“In 2014, I was living with [fellow Indian cueist] Lucky Vatnani in Manchester. One morning, I woke up, walked to the hallway and collapsed to the floor. Luckily, Vatnani was around to take me to the emergency room. The MRIs revealed that I had degenerative discs in the cervical spine. That’s when the trouble started. I didn’t take it seriously and continued playing,” Mehta says.
Things only got worse over the next couple of years. “The injury made me depressed. I was living alone in England, which didn’t help. And all the long-haul flights we had to take to play tournaments in China really affected my neck,” he says.
Finally, in 2018, a spent Mehta decided to take a break and return to India. “I should have taken a break in 2016 itself, but that feeling of going up against world-beaters like Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, John Higgins — it is addictive. I couldn’t let that feeling go, and now I’m paying the price for it.”
Mehta resorted to long-term physiotherapy and strengthening exercises to set his neck right, and returned to action on the national circuit at the start of the year. His technique, however, has taken a big hit.
Designing a workaround
The 33-year-old now plays with his chin about four to six inches above the cue. This is a sharp departure from the basic snooker practice of resting the chin on the cue, which gives the cueist the best view of angles and distances.
Snooker player Aditya Mehta at Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA) in Bengaluru | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
“It’s tough. Because I’m so high up, I can’t find the rhythm, line, or the correct alignment with my right eye. If the balls are close to each other, it is fine, but the long pots and long safeties are a huge struggle. I’m forced to cut some corners and avoid some routine shots. This can work on the national amateur circuit, but I will be found out on the professional tour,” Mehta admits, “If I try to bend and rest my chin on the cue, it will surely aggravate the neck.”
Tough circumstances
The changes have resulted in a drop in his performances. “I was a top-50 player, so to come down to this level is very disappointing. I’m only at 5% of my peak,” he says.
On the family front, there are far bigger concerns to deal with. “My mother fractured her back — she has metal plates and screws in place. She barely walks. Dad had an amputation on his left leg. He has just started to walk with a prosthetic leg. My problems are insignificant in comparison,” he says.
Despite the setbacks, Mehta is determined to soldier on. The support from his employer Indian Oil Corporation, especially when he was at a low ebb, has proved crucial. Through the Q-School (qualifying tournament), he will attempt to get back on the World Snooker Tour.
Going all out
“My game is not quite ready, but I’d rather take a chance and lose badly than not try at all. I’m entering Q-School without any big expectations,” Mehta says, adding, “I’m doing everything I can to return to the best version of myself, but there is a long way to go.”