John Parrott has indicated that it is likely he will retire from snooker after failing to qualify for the Betfred.com World Championship.
The 45-year-old former world champion went down 10-6 to Chinese teenager Anda Zhang at Sheffield's English Institute of Sport on Wednesday and would face a future away from the main tour if he opts to continue.
Parrott, who tasted Crucible glory in 1991, has steadily fallen down the rankings and is now certain to slip out of the top 64 for next season.
"If I'm off the tour, it's fairly certain that I'll retire," Parrott told the Daily Mail.
"I certainly won't be playing any lower down.
"If I lose my card, that's me gone. I still have the utmost respect for the game. I've just lost in the World Championship and I'm not going to spit the dummy out. But I don't enjoy the hours of practice any more."