Steve Davis on John Higgins UK Championship victory

It was a fascinating, breathtaking match. If anybody ever criticises snooker for being boring they need their head testing.

You've seen a performance by the greatest player this game has seen. Higgins has everything - so much heart as well as bundles of talent and tactical nous.

He never panicked. Mark Williams had more or less won the match and will think it's one that got away - he'll never get so close without actually winning an event.

Higgins had to play superb safety to get back in it - it was amazing stuff.

His victory is a remarkable achievement, considering his mental preparation for the season was so disrupted.

At one stage he would have been thinking he wasn't playing this season. With the disciplinary hearing into the match-fixing allegations, and the health issues with his dad, he has had a lot of things to cope with.

But playing again has perhaps enabled him to immerse himself in snooker, which has helped him deal with it, and showed he was able to put himself in a bubble.

It shows the strength of his character, being able to play in the moment and produce a superb turnaround when all eyes were on him.

He can pull it out of the fire and make a lost cause into a chance. He's such an entertaining player to play against because he's so focused - its written all across his forehead.

It's also been a great turnaround from Mark Williams. Three years ago we were all in shock with him considering quitting the game because we all knew how good he was.

To go that far down the mountain [Williams slipped to 47th in the world] and then claw his way back up [he is now number three] is testament to his character.

As a sport I think we analyse a little too critically and highlight too readily when a player goes off the boil. If you go back in time it wasn't really an issue.

Sometimes a player will come through showing great resolve. No player can play well all of the time.

Williams has struggled to pot a long ball on a few occasions during this tournament and he will have returned to the practice table with his tail between his legs - but this really isn't that unusual.

Higgins and Williams are two of the greatest match players mainly because of their attitude during a match. They don't lose their temper and don't let their heads go down when they are not playing well. They have unshakable confidence. It's all about the mind and you can't really teach that.

Look at Ronnie O'Sullivan - he's a more fragile character regarding competitive temperament. I'm not sure you could ever teach a player to be like John Higgins or Mark Williams.

It's not just being able to play under pressure because Ronnie can do that - it's that never-say-die attitude and always giving 100%, always looking for the positive and the bright side. It's just something you are born with.

John Higgins is back at number one in the world rankings now, but with Neil Robertson also in good form and Mark Williams up to number three, it's not clear cut who will be there at the end of the season.

When Ronnie and John play well they are hard to beat, but you just don't know how their careers will pan out.

Shaun Murphy is an exceptional cueist. Neil Robertson is on a roll. But with the number of top players these days, it's just too hard to say.

Steve Davis was speaking to BBC Sport's Mark Ashenden during coverage of the UK Championship final. The BBC's snooker coverage will continue with The Masters from 9-16 January 2011.