World ranking: 27
Last five seasons: 22-15-12-12-5
Date of birth: 17-01-70
Lives: Bangkok
Turned professional: 1989
Ranking tournament victories: 3
Last season’s prize money: £35,525
Career prize money: £1,491,733
Highest tournament break: 147

James Wattana has done much to popularise snooker around the world, particularly in the Far East.

When he was crowned World Matchplay champion in 1992, defeating Steve Davis 9-4 in the final, he returned to a hero’s welcome in his native Bangkok.

He was made a Commander third class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand, a rare honour for a Thai sportsman.

At the time, only the legendary Thai boxer Khaosai Galaxy had received this accolade.

The eighth player in snooker history to earn more than £1million at the match table, Wattana has three times been voted Thailand’s Sportsman of the Year.

The first of four Thai players to become world amateur champion in 1988, Wattana has won three ranking titles - the 1992 Strachan Professional and Thailand Open in both 1994 and 1995.

He was runner-up in the British Open for three successive years from 1992 and also the Asian Open in 1989.

Wattana has twice reached the semi-finals of the Embassy World Championship, losing 16-9 to Jimmy White in 1993 after leading 5-0, and 17-13 to Stephen Hendry in 1997.

Ranked as high as No 3 in the world during the 1994-95 season, he had to win his first round match at the 1996 world championship to stay in the top 16.

He did just that by beating Jimmy Michie 10-7.

But a run of poor form - and problems with his eyes - over the past two seasons has led to Wattana surrendering his place among the game’s elite and he now needs to regain lost confidence.