World No2 Neil Robertson suffered on and off the table as he crashed out of the UK Championship to best pal Joe Perry.
When Australian Robertson, 40, first arrived it was Perry who helped him settle near Cambridge where they still share a club and find his feet on tour.
And on Sunday afternoon three-time UK winner Robertson could not shake off illness and a chest infection as he slumped to a 6-2 defeat at York’s Barbican Centre.
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Robertson said: “Joe spoke to me at the end and just felt a bit bad. But I have played him a couple of times when he was poorly and you just have to despatch the opponent.
“It sucks and is unfortunate, but that’s how it is. Maybe against someone who wasn’t playing as well I might have got a few scrappy frames.
“With a few days off before the next round I might have recovered, but you have to win matches when you are not 100 per cent. That’s how it is in sport.
“And with two kids as well…everyone, the whole family has got the lurgy at our home at the moment. It is a chest infection, I have been downing tablets – but you have to accept it.
“Look, I have won tournaments where all I was doing was chewing on AirWaves and downing Red Bulls to get through the first couple of rounds – then you can recover.
“I had a Red Bull at the interval and it did actually help, and then two more out there which I know isn’t good for you. Then my heart started racing.
“I really tried but with the way Joe played even if I had been at my best I think he would have won. He is a good friend and I want him to do well, now I am out I hole he wins it.
“His strength has always been his scoring and positional play around the balls. When he is knocking in long pots and playing good safety, he is tough to beat.”
Joe Perry has a lot of respect for his close friend Neil Robertson.
#CazooUKChampionship | @CazooUK
World No30 Perry, 48, said: “I knew he wasn’t 100 per cent but I played really well and continued my good form from qualifying.
“In some ways can make if difficult knowing that about your opponent because you can’t afford to lose focus and concentration against a player that good.
“Neil and I are close friends and practice partners, but I actually enjoy playing him. He is always well behaved and brings out the best in you. I feel relaxed as he knows what I am capable of doing so there is nothing for me to prove, I can play my own game against him.
“It’s no secret that when he first came over from Australia he settled in Cambridge and I helped him up and running on the tour. And I take great pride in his many great career achievements.
“Sometimes I have had doubts and wondered if I wanted to fight on trying to be a top snooker player. But when you play well in front of a big crowd and everyone is buzzing, the answer is ‘yes, I need to keep going’.
“The UK feels like a proper, proper tournament again from day one with the new format and jkust the two tables, and doesn’t take days to get going. It is like the old days and it felt like that even in qualifying, that it was going to be a big deal to get here.”
Belgium’s Luca Brecel, last year’s beaten UK finalist, is also into the last 16 after a 6-4 win over China’s Lyu Haotian.
Coverage of the match live on BBC1 twice wrongly featured pictures of another tour pro Li Hang instead of Lyu.
An IMG spokesperson said: “We apologise for the error. It was noticed as soon as the feature was broadcast and we have ensured the issue has been rectified for any further transmissions.”
Brecel, who said: “I was pleased today and played some good stuff. Lyu is such a good player and should be higher in the rankings, so to beat him is a nice win.
“It was great getting to the final last year and that set me up well for the next 12 months. I felt like a different player and now I feel every event that I can win it.”
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