Barry Hawkins stands at a markedly different point in his career compared to 12 months ago. Last year’s failure to qualify for the Crucible, ending a 17-year consecutive streak, left him devastated. The loss to Jak Jones in the final qualifying round was a bitter pill to swallow.
Hawkins’s disappointment was palpable. “I remember coming off, going back to the hotel, and ringing my dad,” he recounted to Metro. “There were some other things going on off the table, but the way I played over the two days was terrible. Jak played a good match, but I just wasn’t with it.”
The summer break provided a chance to regroup, and Hawkins’s fortunes changed dramatically soon after. He defeated Judd Trump in the European Masters final in August, igniting a newfound determination. “It must have been a change in mindset after the Worlds, a bit more determined,” he said. “It’s a shame you can’t bottle that feeling.”
Hawkins may not have been able to sustain the surge of confidence he experienced at the start of the season, but he has cultivated a more robust mindset over time. He now genuinely believes he is among the world’s elite players. Self-belief, however, has been a gradual acquisition for the Englishman.
“I do feel like my belief has improved,” he said. “I wouldn’t say this lightly either. But I do feel like I’m stronger mentally than I used to be. It’s taken me a long time to really believe it, but I know I can compete against the best now. In the past, I would never have thought I’d say anything like that. I’d be horrified to say something like that years ago, I’d think it was big-headed, but I’ve got a bit of self-belief now.”
Hawkins’s Crucible opener this year will be against Ryan Day, a player he has faced since his junior days. Their first professional encounter, 24 years ago in World Championship qualifying, was a memorable one for Hawkins.
“Was it the World and he battered me? Absolutely destroyed me! I remember now,” Hawkins recalled. “Back then, I thought, Jesus, he goes for a lot of balls! So attacking. But back then, I was only 20, I was very intimidated. Not much confidence in myself.”
The memory serves as a reminder of how far Hawkins has come in his journey of self-belief. “It’s not come easy since then,” he said. “I’ve worked with loads of different people, trying to nick things from them all and learn. Some people it comes naturally to, some people you have to graft. I feel like I’ve grafted.”
Hawkins’s quest for improvement is ongoing. “You can’t just think you’ve nailed it or something comes and bites you in the arse,” he said. “I’m always trying to learn even at my age. I actually feel like I’m still improving.”
Hawkins’s transformation is a testament to the power of resilience and the relentless pursuit of self-belief. As he prepares to return to the Crucible, he carries with him the confidence of knowing that he belongs among the sport’s elite.
