Martin Gould is relishing the chance to focus on the busy back end of the season after a miserable start to 2015.
The world number 25 has had a painful ear infection that lasted several weeks and has also been laid low with illness.
He said at times it has felt like he has spent more time at the doctors than on the baize and it has inevitably affected his preparation and performances.
Gould has had to pull out of a couple of matches but still managed to play at the German Open and Welsh Open.
“I’ve had a rough time since Christmas with an infection and the feeling ill but I felt good at the Welsh Open,” said Gould.
“I had a couple of good wins and feel like I was playing pretty well.”
In Germany Gould was still not feeling at his best but beat Ashley Carty in the first round before losing to UK Championship runner-up Judd Trump in round two.
By the time the Pinner potter was in action in Cardiff he was feeling in better shape and eased in to the third round with impressive wins over Jak Jones and Rod Lawler.
But Gould then lost a tight match to world number nine Ricky Walden.
“In Germany I was not right at all. I didn’t feel comfortable and that showed but I managed to win a game,” said the 33-year-old.
“But I was feeling much more relaxed in the Welsh Open and I was happy with my form. Although I lost against Ricky I had a bit of bad luck.
“Hopefully I will be fully recovered soon and can enjoy the rest of the season. It’s a busy few weeks now and I am looking forward to it.”
Gould is next in action on 27 February in a European Tour event in Poland, where he will face an as yet undetermined qualifier.
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This post was last modified on 25/02/2015