If anyone can relate to the world champion. Mark Selby’s mental health problems It’s the Tyneside potter, Gary Wilson.
a year ago the told the pool world about his ongoing battle with depression where there were days when he couldn’t even muster the strength or motivation to get out of bed, let alone grab a pool cue.
But as he prepares for his Players Championship first-round match against Mark Williams on Monday, the British Open finalist can reflect on the significant progress he has made and believes fellow pro Selby has taken a big step in his own journey. by talking openly about their problems.
I feel better in general. I’m in a totally different place than I was then,’ she said. Metro.es.
“Obviously there’s still lingering stuff in my head, but I think it’s one of those things with mental health: You never really know what’s going on.” You’re kind of lumbering through life, like we all do.
“It was really bad and like I mentioned back then, every day I was thinking about not getting out of bed and stuff, and all of that disappeared.” I don’t think like that at all, so when I think about it now, we realize that it’s a world away from what I was.
Wilson first spoke about mental health after an infamous moment in a Championship League match last January when, after missing a pot shot against John Higgins, he smashed balls around the table in frustration.
number one in the world Selby took to Twitter and subsequently spoke to the press about the matches. he’s living after losing 6-1 to Barry Hawkins in the Masters quarterfinals, even though it may have been impossible for the average fan to notice anything was wrong.
“I respect him for coming out and saying the things he has,” Wilson said. ‘That’s what I did and that’s what I think everyone who suffers from these kinds of problems should do because it helps people.
“I applaud Mark for doing that – he doesn’t shy away from it and he’s been open enough about it to say, ‘Look, I’m really struggling,’ and he’s even thinking about retiring from tournaments because of it.”
Naturally, attention has now turned to whether Selby will continue to play events or take a break from the sport ahead of his world title defense in April.
Selby is not in action at this week’s event in Wolverhampton. It’s a surprise omission from the event reserved for the top 16 in the one-year world rankings, as the £58,000 prize money he has won so far this season was only enough to land him as high as 17th on the list.
Perhaps this brief forced break in his schedule before playing Matt Selt at the European Masters later in the month is a blessing in disguise that gives him some time away from the table to focus on more important things.
“I never wanted to stop playing or anything, and I know Mark would feel that way too because he loves to play,” Wilson said. “He loves to play in tournaments so hopefully he doesn’t need to and hopefully he feels like he’s a little bit better and then he can continue the rest of the season and play the way we know he can. “.
“Clearly there are issues that need to be discussed and worked through and obviously he needs to try to figure out how he’s going to spend the rest of his life, thinking a little differently, or just dealing with something a little better.”
“I’ve found that talking about it gives you a small percentage of something because you get people to come up to you and say ‘I was really inspired by what you said’ or ‘it helps me, and I’m in this situation’, and it really gets you. You realize that there are people in even worse situations.
“This may sound selfish in a way, but it helps you know there are other people out there who are struggling much worse than you, and it also brings a bit of perspective to what you’re really going through.”
Of course, Selby and Wilson are not the first nor will they be the last to suffer at the hands of the invisible effects of mental health.
There have been a plethora of players over the years who have spoken out about his impacts. This has raised questions about its prevalence in a sport like billiards, where you play alone and spend a lot of time consumed by your own thoughts.
“Obviously, snooker is not a physical, high-adrenaline type of sport where you can be loud and angry, I struggle with that,” Wilson said.
“If I’m feeling something or I’m holding something back, it makes me angrier and worse, so I feel like I have to do something as a sort of outburst.
“Mark seems to have a great temper in general and it must have been difficult for him, if he’s been fighting the way he says he has, to suppress that when he’s playing. It’s not easy and I can tell you first hand: there are some players on tour who struggle with that aspect of things. They prefer to be playing a sport like football, where you can only shout.’
Among the highest-profile players who have struggled with mental health in billiards is Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has in the past described his depression as “billiards blues.” Then there are Mark Allen, Graeme Dott, and Martin Gould, as well as others who have suffered.
“People don’t realize how difficult it actually is as a mind sport,” Wilson explained.
‘When you’re trying to make a living, you go to a club eight hours every day and you’re looking for answers and sometimes you can’t find them, no one can help you.
‘I know there are coaches and things out there, but sometimes there is no one who can help you more than you. It can be very lonely and very soul destroying at times and that can build up over years and years. No matter how good you are, you always want a little more.
“It’s not all about pool, sometimes it doesn’t matter how well you’re doing, it’s just one of those games that can rip you apart mentally. They’re crackers, they really are.
Wilson will play Mark William on Monday 7th February at 7pm in the first round of the Players Championship live on ITV4.
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