Graeme how do you feel about your form so far this season?

My game has been good throughout, I have been quite happy with it. I got to the quarter-finals in Shanghai and hopefully I can kick on from there.

You are currently 16th in the world rankings, is your goal to stay in the top 16 and qualify for the Masters?

Yes, there’s not long to go now until the cut-off point. I’m going to play in all of the tournaments until the cut-off point to try to achieve that. The Masters is one of the biggest events of the season so I’d love to be there.

Are you still as passionate about snooker as you were ten years ago?

I probably don’t have the same level of enthusiasm, though my game isn’t far off what it was. As you get older, your game naturally goes downhill a bit. But I still feel I’m capable of being at the top level.

You are coaching young players in Scotland when you have time away from the circuit, how is that going?

I’m enjoying it. It has helped me. When you keep going over good habits and try to ingrain them into players, it ends up rubbing of a bit on you as well. It’s something I will do when I stop playing. I find it rewarding, especially when you see that Eureka moment and the player starts to hit the ball better. It’s a nice feeling to show people how to do it properly. I’m sure we’ll see some good young Scottish players coming through soon. A lot of players don’t know what they want to do when they finish playing. And then they panic when they get to the end of their careers. So I’m happy to have something which I want to get more involved in, especially something I really enjoy.

Were you pleased with the result of the Scottish independence referendum?

I voted No so I’m glad the result went that way. I just hope Scotland will not be divided. That was the fear. After the Commonwealth Games there was a feeling of solidarity and hopefully, now that the referendum is over, that will be the way it goes.