Stevens relishing Masters

Welshman Stevens won the tournament back in 2000, beating Ken Doherty 10-8 in the final. He dropped out of the world’s top 16 in 2007, therefore missing out on the Masters, which is exclusive to the sport’s elite players.

But Stevens has now regained his top 16 berth and can’t wait to take to the stage again and compete for the £150,000 top prize, in the tournament which runs from January 15-22 at Alexandra Palace.

"It’s one of the tournaments all the top players want to be in," he said. "I’ve not been involved in it for a few years so it’s great to be back. The event gets such a massive audience on TV and in the arena so it just feels really special.

"I’m sure Alexandra Palace will be completely different to Wembley so it’s a fresh start for all the players. I’ve watched the darts at Ally Pally on TV - it looks like a really good venue with a great atmosphere.

"Being back in the top 16 has made a massive difference for me. With all the new tournaments the calendar is very busy, so if I had to go to the qualifiers as well it would be a lot tougher. I’m winning matches that I was losing before, just the odd 5-4 here and there, but when you add those up it makes a big difference."

Stevens will turn 35 this year and it’s seven years since he reached the second of his two World Championship finals. But he believes he has plenty of time to add to his haul of trophies.

"I still feel as if I’ve got a lot of good years ahead of me in the game," he said. "My eyes aren’t going and I’m in decent nick. Hopefully I’ll still be playing at a high level when I’m 40 and beyond."

He takes on world champion Higgins at 12.30pm on Tuesday January 17.