Mark Selby in confident mood ahead of the World Snooker Championship
Richard Mann spoke to Mark Selby ahead of his World Championship title defence which begins against Joe Perry on Saturday.
Mark Selby feels he is peaking just at the right time as he begins the defence of his World Championship crown in Sheffield on Saturday.
Selby, a 7/2 chance with Sky Bet to lift the trophy, has endured an inconsistent season, wins at the recent China Open and International Championship marred by a number of early tournament exits.
However, he remains philosophical about his dip in form and, having found his groove to prevail in China recently, feels he is finding his best just at the right time as he bids to claim a fourth world title.
Selby told SportingLife.com: “I’ve been so consistent for the last three of four years that there was always going to come a time where I had a blip and wasn’t doing as well, and it came in the middle part of this season.
“My season hasn’t been fantastic but if you look at the other side of the coin, I’ve won the China Open, which is our second biggest tournament, and the International Championship, which is another of the biggest tournaments.
“When you judge it like that, you’d probably say it hasn’t been that bad but performance-wise, when I haven’t done well in tournaments, my performances have been poor.
“I judge myself on performance and over the season some of my performances have been poor.”
That dip in form didn’t last too long, though, and Selby was imperious when winning in China, beating Kyren Wilson in a hard-fought semi-final before brushing aside Barry Hawkins in the final.
Selby pinpointed a specific moment as a turning point in his season.
He said: “I kept working hard and managed to turn it around.
“Just before China we played in the Championship League in Coventry and I managed to go there and find some form.
“I thought ‘I’ll go there [Coventry] and let my arm go’ and something just seemed to click.
“I played really well and went to China with some confidence – a week later I was lifting the China Open trophy.”
While there has been lots of talk in recent weeks about the 17-day long World Championship and its demands on players, Selby spoke warmly about the tournament, what it means to him, and of the privilege of playing at the Crucible Theatre.
He said: ‘The prestige and history of this tournament, it goes on for years and years.
“You look at all the names wanting to win it and you come here hungry and wanting to get your name on that trophy to join those legends of the game.
“That’s what keeps inspiring me to come back and try to do well.
“It’s not just the tournament, though, it’s the arena.
“It’s definitely the best arena we’ve got to play in, especially when you get down to one table, and it just makes you want to play well.
“If you can’t play well out there you shouldn’t be playing.”
The world number one will play Joe Perry in the first round, a former Crucible semi-finalist who looked in good order when winning his three qualifiers comfortably.
Selby is wary of the threat he poses: “I’ve played Joe a fair few times, he’s fantastic player who plays the game the right way but you’ve got to beat all the top players if you want to do well here.
“It’s going to be a tough game but if I play well I’m confident I’ll win.”
Selby’s Crucible record is an impressive one, his three world titles coming in the last four years, and given he is only 34 years of age, there is a very real possibility that four, five and maybe even six world titles could be within his grasp before he puts down his cue.
Selby was candid when asked about such a possibility: “If I don’t win it again, I’ve won three titles, which is fantastic in my eyes.
“I always dreamed to be a world champion at some point and when I beat Ronnie to win it for the first time I was overjoyed.
“Now I’ve won it three times which is phenomenal.”
However, there is no doubt that the hunger and belief still burns strong in Selby and he is confident he will be a force to be reckoned with well into his 40s.
He added: “Who knows, I’m 34 years of age at the minute and I feel like I’ve got a good eight years left.
“I believe that I’m still playing good snooker, capable of winning tournaments, and hopefully I can get a couple more [world titles].”
“I know it going to be tough, this is a tough tournament to win.
“It’s 17 days of snooker and mentally it’s a really tough tournament to come through.”
Related snooker links
MOST READ
Next Off
Fixtures & Results
