 Dott had other things on his mind against Lee |
Graeme Dott's wife has been given the all-clear after a cancer scare which prompted the world champion to start planning a break from the sport. A cyst showed up when Elaine, 29, who is pregnant, underwent a routine scan. But tests showed it to be benign.
Dott went ahead with his Masters first round match against Stephen Lee despite his concerns over his wife's health.
"What's happened is much more important than snooker," said the Scot after losing the match 6-2 at Wembley Arena.
"If I wasn't the world champion I wouldn't have played the match.
"I had a phone call last night which gave me the decision to go home or to stay. But I thought people had paid good money so I had to stay.
"It was impossible to concentrate. I thought if I played I might feel OK, but obviously I didn't."
Dott was clearly out of sorts as a result of the news against Lee, last season's Welsh Open winner who repeated last year's Master victory over the Scot.
"I think he played pretty well, but he had an unbelievable run of the balls as well which helps," added Dott.
"Every match has been the same. To beat a class player like Stephen is hard anyway, but to beat somebody that's carrying that amount of luck is just about impossible."
Dott managed to level the match at 2-2 at one stage, but Lee surged ahead and compiled a century break in the final frame to seal a comfortable victory.
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