Kyren Wilson

Kyren Wilson recalls struggling to afford nappies for his children before his snooker breakthrough and insists lower ranked players must keep the faith

By Chris Hammer

Snooker

Wed April 19, 2023 · 3y ago

Kyren Wilson hopes his story can be a source of inspiration to those players feeling the financial strain of being lower down the rankings.

There’s been much debate about the state of snooker in recent months, with one area of focus being whether it’s too hard for those outside the upper echelons of the game to make a decent enough living.

World Snooker’s initiative at the start of the season to guarantee all 130 players on the professional circuit a minimum of £20,000 in earnings was widely praised but Ronnie O’Sullivan certainly isn’t the only one who feels the total prize money available of £11million across all the tournaments isn’t enough to go round.

Stories of players needing to win a match ‘to pay the bills’ are never far away while last season Elliott Slessor claimed 30% of pros couldn’t afford a loaf of bread and back in February of this year Ali Carter claimed 90% are pretty much skint.

Wilson, however, paints a much rosier picture of the life snooker can provide – but insists you’ll only reap the just rewards if you’re prepared to work hard through the toughest of times like he did.

The 31-year-old is preparing for his ninth appearance at the Crucible, where he finished runner-up to O’Sullivan in 2020 and has also reached the semi-finals on two other occasions, and is among the leading contenders for glory.

Wilson began the season by winning his fifth ranking title at the European Masters and was unfortunate not to bring up his sixth at the recent Tour Championship, where he was edged out by Shaun Murphy in the final.

A runners-up cheque of £60,000 consolidated his place as world number seven but while his recent successes are giving his wife Sophie and two sons and an extremely happy and comfortable lifestyle, he’s keen to stress it hasn’t always been plain sailing.

Wilson, who won his first title at the 2015 Shanghai Masters, said: "I live a fantastic life thanks to what snooker has given me and I’m very blessed.

"My wife is a very happy lady and my kids have everything they could ever wish for – so I am extremely grateful to be in this position by the age of 31.

"Sport isn’t meant to be easy – if it was I don’t think we’d appreciate the rewards as much. Sure, it’s easy for me to say that because of the position I’m in now but I had to work extremely hard for it.

"There were times when I couldn’t afford nappies for my son and my mum and dad had to remortgage the house a few times to help keep me going. That support made me extremely hungry and motivated.

“But after winning the Shanghai Masters in 2015 at a time when I was ranked in the 50s or 60s and going nowhere, my life has catapulted.

“Maybe other players should look at my story as a bit of inspiration to see what’s possible.”

Carter admitted he wouldn’t want his children following him into snooker given the financial difficulties but Wilson has the opposite mindset.

He said: "My boys are aged five and eight now and starting to get into it – so who knows maybe they will be here one day. My youngest Bailey has to carry a crate around with him so he can reach the table and I had to use a stool when my dad got me into it!

"I do think it’s a great sport for youngsters to get involved in and can give you a good life."

Wilson began his campaign against Ryan Day and became the ninth different player in Crucible history to hit a 147 break, which will see him pocket a further £40,000.