Ronnie O'Sullivan last week claimed he could pull out of the Regal Scottish Open starting in Edinburgh tomorrow in order to recharge his batteries before the Embassy World Championship in Sheffield but now seems unlikely to do so.
O'Sullivan made his threat during the Irish Masters in Dublin last week before going on to win the title at the expense of John Higgins.
Since then O'Sullivan has moderated his view and now seems unlikely to withdraw.
Such a thought though would never have crossed the mind of seven times world champion Stephen Hendry.
"Every player is different," says the 34-year-old Scot, who could face old rival Steve Davis in his opening game.
"You can't say which way is right. But I know if I'd just won back-to-back ranking titles on the spin, I'd want to keep playing.
"Mentally you might feel a bit tired but otherwise I'd want to keep the roll going for as long as possible.
"Besides we had a long break after the B&H Masters at Wembley when there weren't any tournaments for four or five weeks.
"So, that's plenty of time for players to recharge their batteries.
"It would be a loss to the tournament if Ronnie doesn't show up but I heard his coach saying he'd definitely be there."
Hendry hopes to meet rejuvenated Davis on Tuesday night, though it would be at the expense of fellow Scot and former practice partner Stephen Maguire.
"I would love to play Steve Davis in my first match because we have had some great matches over the years and I have more respect for him than anyone else in the game," he said.
If Hendry is guaranteed a great reception at the Royal Highland Centre, so too is Edinburgh's own Chris Small.
Last week Small lambasted the crowd at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin for being unruly during his first round win over Jimmy White.
"It will be great to have the fans on my side this time," said the 29-year-old LG Cup champion from Leith.
"I realise it puts you under more pressure. You only had to look at the pressure Ken Doherty was under last week.
"It seemed the whole of Ireland was rooting for him and he didn't perform at all. But I think I'll be able to handle it. I coped well enough against Jimmy when everyone was against me and trying to put me off."
Small, knocking on the door of the top 16 elite for the first time, begins his campaign on Sunday against Nottingham's Michael Holt.
Also in action on the opening day are last year's runner-up David Gray, this season's British Open finalist Ian McCulloch and Dave Harold, a semi-finalist in the Irish Masters.