JANUARY will mark a testing month for snooker star Ross Muir as he takes on two former world champions on consecutive days.

The Musselburgh potter will face four-time world champion John Higgins in the World Open Qualifying before locking horns with seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry in the Welsh Open Qualifying the following day.

Muir was looking ahead to the two contests, which will be played in Barnsley on January 24 and 25.

He said: “It is hard not to look forward to that.

“As a kid, those were two of the guys I aspired to be like.

“I have been really fortunate over the last year to be practising on a weekly basis with John Higgins and Anthony McGill.

“I have tended not to draw the Scottish guys too often, so it is quite an exciting opportunity.

“Obviously, we are friends, so there is that side of things, but we will go on the table and it is a fight.

“We know each other’s games inside out through practising.”

Muir, who previously played Hendry’s son Blaine as a youngster, returned to the World Snooker Tour last summer and has played at tournaments including the British Open and the European Masters.

Now, he is aiming to start 2024 in a strong fashion as he faces Higgins and Hendry.

He said: “As a 10-year-old, if you were saying when I got on the tour I would be facing them on back-to-back days, that would be right up there.

“It is going to be something that the kid Ross Muir would have been excited about.

“I just enjoy playing games these days. They are both great players and John is still right at the top of the game.”

Twenty-eight-year-old Muir secured his tour card with success over fellow Scotsman Michael Collumb at the European Championships in Malta last March.

Since then, the county snooker player has had “a very average” return to the top table of the sport.

The pick of the performances came in the International Championship in Tianjin in China in November.

Muir, who had secured his place at the tournament with a victory over China’s Wu Yize, looked to be heading for a second-round defeat to the current world number 19 Hossein Vafaei.

Trailing 5-2 in the best-of-11 encounter, Muir rattled off four frames in a row to progress.

Over the festive period, Muir has been reflecting on his game and believes changes on and off the table can help make a difference.

He said: “I need to be a bit more transparent in probably my lifestyle, that’s what I am going to call it, on the tour.

“It is very easy when travelling place to place and arriving late at night to just go for the unhealthy food, get something into you and move onto the next thing.

“I want to give myself a bit more time – travelling down two days before the tournament rather than the day before.

“It gives myself a bit more time to feel at home at tournaments.”

The former Musselburgh Grammar School pupil was also keen to find time to analyse his game more often, as well as simply enjoying the sport as much as possible.

He said: “I’m enjoying my snooker and I try to enjoy every match, every practice session or every exhibition or every tournament. I just try to enjoy every second of it and that is my new take on it now.

“I don’t get too hard on myself or overly excited by results – I just try to enjoy it as much as I can.”