Ali Carter believes that his new vegan diet will help him tackle Crohn’s Disease as he looks ahead to next week’s Ladbrokes Players Championship in Manchester.
Three-time ranking event winner Carter has suffered from the illness for 13 years and was recently told by his consultant he may need more surgery, a measure he is desperate to avoid.
“I don’t want surgery on my stomach because I don’t believe it’s the answer,” said the 36-year-old. “I’ve had it before and it creates scar tissue, so they want to remove the scar tissue but then I’ll just end up with more.
“So for the last eight or nine days I have been trying a healing diet which involves eating nothing other than fruit and vegetables. I am feeling a lot better and hopefully that will continue.”
Chelmsford’s Carter, who has also battled cancer twice within the past three years and is still having regular check-ups, added: “If I’d never had any health problems I think I would have won a lot more, but it’s something I’ve always had to deal with.”
The two-time World Championship finalist reached the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix last week and is encouraged by his form ahead of next week’s world ranking event at Event City in Manchester, which runs from March 22 to 27.
“It was good to win a couple of matches though I was disappointed to lose in the quarters,” said the world number 28, who won the Paul Hunter Classic earlier this season. “I feel something good is around the corner.
“This is a rebuilding season for me. It was great to win a title and I had hoped to get back into the top 16, but realistically my goal is to do that in time for the Masters next season. I will have no ranking points coming off because I missed a lot of events last season, so that will be the time for me to climb back up.”
Carter faces Graeme Dott on the opening day of the Ladbrokes Players Championship next Tuesday. Other top stars competing for the £100,000 top prize will include Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Mark Allen and Mark Williams.
Tickets are on sale now and start at just £10, incredible value for the chance to see the world’s best players live. Certain sessions will sell out fast so fans must book quickly. For details visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
