The 38-year-old Selby is about to enter 2022 with his fourth World Championship title and year-end world number one ranking, yet the debate over whether Selby is one of the greatest players of all time has never stopped. The ridicule of Selby has largely focused on his gritty playing style and unyielding style of play, while light and natural performances like O'Sullivan and Trump are naturally not easily controversial.
文/Hector Nunns，《The Sportsman》
With this year's victory at the World Championships, all doubts and criticisms of Selby have disappeared. Selby beat Sean Murphy 18-15 at Crucible to win his fourth World Championship title and increase his number of individual "three majors" titles to nine.
In terms of the number of "big three" titles, O'Sullivan stood out with 20, followed by Stephen Hendry's 18, Steve Davis's 15, and nine "big three" titles, bringing Selby tied with John Higgins for fourth place in history. Admittedly, the 32-year-old Trump is younger, but Trump's 3 "big three" titles so far are nowhere near as many as Selby's.
Selby has won 17 of his 20 ranking titles since 2014, and he has an astonishingly high winning percentage in the ranking finals.
Selby has won 12 of the last 13 finals, and the only one he lost was a single-time limited time game that many people don't value much. Selby admits that he sometimes has to be prepared with both hands just in case. He had earlier lived with his late father, David, in government houses in the east midlands, and his grueling childhood had left Selby cautious about the success and fame he was in front of.
Looking back on 2021, Selby said: "Winning the World Championships wasn't very special – this time it felt like it was as good as ever. But you have to be clear that there will always be something special about your first title, especially since the final opponent you won was Ronnie. ”
"That was my first World Championship title (2014) and at that moment you wonder if that could also be your only World Championship title. But every win at Crucible was wonderful. The World Championships are such a tough race, and to win the championship, you have to stand the test in every way. ”
"You're going to be a world champion for the next 12 months, it's a great moment – there's no better feeling than that."
"Whether it's the title of defending world champion at the World Championships or holding nine 'big three' titles, of course it will give you a sense of satisfaction, but I'm not ready to indulge in it too much and I will reflect on it all."
"I feel very strongly that I still have a lot of games to win and to fight for, and I can still stay at a high level of competition for a few years. So, if possible, I hope my championship count can continue to increase. ”
"That's what I want to do. Whether I do it or not, when I finally choose to retire, I proudly count what I have achieved. It's already a lot more than the goals I've set, and in today's competitive world, I never thought I'd win so many titles. ”
"The significance of winning the championship is that I have worked hard to get my family and friends out of the hard life, and there is nothing greater than this."
"Conversely, when you're in a bad state and you keep losing, that's probably the worst feeling in the world." So if you do win, you have to live in the moment and cherish it. ”
"And when you really win, remember that feeling and use it as motivation, that's why you play and try to make yourself better motivated and meaningful, you have to be more diligent and invest in regaining that feeling."
"There are times when you're in awe and caution about what you're doing and what you're living right now. For me, my childhood memories are of living in a government house with my father, and the environment I live in now has changed considerably from then. ”
"I always can't help but think that I've always been a down-to-earth person, a person who doesn't have too many waves and sparks."
"But I know where I lived and grew up, and the world between the house I lived in as a child and the house I live in now can sometimes make you proud of yourself."
"After winning the World Championships, I bought myself a car, which I always wanted when I was younger, but in general, I don't waste or put it on hold, I will give it my best."
"I'll think about the future, and one day I won't play so well anymore, at least I have other possessions and resources to live with."
For years, it was thought that if anyone could catch up with or surpass Hendry's seven world titles, that person would have to be O'Sullivan, who now has six World Championship titles.
But Selby is 8 years younger than O'Sullivan, and Hendry sees Selby, who holds four titles, as the biggest threat to catching up with his personal record.
Selby said: "Stephen Hendry has stepped up and said he thinks I'm the most likely, perhaps the only one who can catch up with his 7 world championship records. ”
"To surpass Hendry's record of seven crowns, you'd have to win four more world titles – twice as many as I do now. Even to tie it, you need to take three more, which is a rather difficult requirement. ”
"If I can win another world title, I'll be incredibly happy, and God knows how difficult it is."
"Then maybe you can win a few more 'three majors' at the British Championships or the Masters, and the number of titles in the big tournaments is always one of the criteria by which others will judge you."
"A player like Judd (Trump) ... He's a great player, but he's only got three 'big three bigs' titles, and someone always talks about it. I'm sure he'll have more to gain by the end of his career. ”
"He [Trump] is still very young, but to be a big name like Hendry, O'Sullivan, Higgins, Davis, Williams, you still need to break through the results of the competition."
"Hendry and O'Sullivan's achievements in the 'Big Three' are no less than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic's historic position in the 'Tennis Big Three' at grand slams."