According to the latest news on April 16, 2022, Beijing time, although four-time world champion Mark Selby has said that snooker seems insignificant to him now, he is still ready to defend his world championship title in Crucible. Selby has made public about his struggles with depression in recent months and the impact the past six years have had on his career. According to Selby, he didn't feel anything after winning the 2016 World Championships, no emotions of joy or emotion. Even having a cup with his wife, Wiki, was just coping, because he had no idea what he should do.
Selby: Winning the championship didn't make me feel anything
Recalling his experience after beating Ding Junhui to win the world championship, Selby said he didn't have any emotions at the time. "Even in my last interview, I remember only saying it was a tough few weeks and that close friends and family would understand how I felt," Selby said. Before that, I quit several races and didn't even intend to race in Crucible. In the end, she was persuaded by Wiki to go to the contest because she hoped that Crucible and the atmosphere there would cheer me up instead of sitting at home. But winning that year felt weird, maybe because I didn't feel the pressure because I didn't expect anything from myself from the start. But in the end, when this was supposed to be one of the best times of my life to share with Wiki and Sophia, I didn't have any emotions, I just took the championship trophy and coped with it with my wife and daughter. ”
Selby: The game is easier to deal with than depression
In Selby's view, the game is far easier than dealing with depression. He said: "When I try to get professional help from doctors and actively participate in the competition, the real competition is not so difficult. The hard part is more when you're sitting in your seat. When I'm standing at the table, I have something to think about that will keep your brain active. But when you sit on a stool, all the other things are on your mind. It was off-field life, past experiences, and it wasn't snooker at all. Initially we agreed that if I could keep fighting, I would keep fighting, because I would be in danger of imprisoning myself at home. It's not the way I'm going, I want to keep myself busy, and that's why I keep playing. It's easier to play, it's harder to fight the demons in your head. Some days I'm doing well, but I'm living far more bad days than good days, which is why I'm in this situation right now. ”
Selby: The motivation for the game is to make me better
Selby is currently receiving professional help due to the ongoing suffering from depression, and he hopes he can turn things around. He said: "Although I will continue to fight my depression in Sheffield, I will try to make myself better and I will try to look forward to the game. Snooker's goals seem inconsequential to me, even though it's the World Championships. Objectively speaking, I don't have any motivation, and it's hard for you to explain it other than those who have depression. The temptation to race is to cheer myself up, but I never know how I'm going to feel. I can feel a little better for a certain period of time, and then over time, I may feel worse. It felt like I was fighting myself every day, but luckily I had great support from Wiki and my family, and now this doctor. I have a lot to do, it's up to me. I've always treated snooker as a matter of life and death, and the damage caused by failure was very strong. The doctor was convinced that this was related to my father's death. Because when I was younger, my mother left me, and when I lost him, it was my whole family. There was no one around me at the time, and the only one I could turn to for help was snooker, which is why I felt most comfortable putting so much effort into it. So I'm looking forward to the next game, because standing in the Crucible arena and not caring if I win or lose, it would be a shame for me. ”