World number five Mark Selby has shown glimpses of his imperious best this season without finding consistent form, but he feels big things could be around the corner if he remains patient.
Ahead of the upcoming World Open, Selby is right on the borderline for qualification to the prestigious Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship. He currently sits in 11th position on the one-year list, with only the top 12 players of this season making it to Manchester. The four-time Crucible king also has one eye on the Cazoo World Championship, which takes place next month.
Selby produced a scintillating display in his 6-0 demolition of Ronnie O’Sullivan at the recent Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship. However, he failed to convert that win into a title after losing a marathon semi-final with Zhang Anda 6-5.
The Leicester cueman was in control of his clash with Mark Allen at the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, but surrendered a 3-1 lead to lose out 4-3. Despite suffering some narrow defeats, Selby says that looking beyond match situations and circumstances is key to finding form.
“When you are playing well all of the time and confident it seems to be a lot easier to do than when you are struggling and doubting yourself. I’ve been there before and done it. At the moment, up until the Players Championship, I was in a bit of a lull.”
Mark Selby
Four-time World Champion
Selby added: “I’ve had that a lot in my career. Sometimes you try to tinker, but really you just have to ride the wave. I know I’ve had a lot of purple patches when I was playing great. You are going to get the other side of the coin when things aren’t great and you have to be ready for it to turn around. I know my form is there.
“With my upbringing, I’ve never had it easy and I’ve had to work for everything. I suppose that has helped me. Don’t get me wrong you wouldn’t want everyone to have had the upbringing I’ve had. It’s not been easy. In a way, I respect everything that I’ve got. I had nothing in terms of money, now I’m doing alright for myself. I respect that and where people come from. You have to work hard and stay in the moment.”
The 22-time ranking event winner last added to his trophy cabinet at the 2023 WST Classic. Although he is itching to lift silverware once more, Selby knows the key to doing so is to not get ahead of himself or rue the near misses along the way.
Selby explained: “I think the majority of the time, I just try to stay in the moment. I don’t look too far ahead and I don’t look too far back. You need to play the shot for what it is whether you are 5-0 down or 9-9 in a final. It is the same shot. It is only mentally how you approach it that it is different.
“Looking back I’ve wondered how I have felt so relaxed when I was trying to win the biggest things we play in like the World Championship. Other times I could be playing in Home Nations last 64, clearing up to win 4-3 and feel really nervous. I think that is just where you are in your game. If you are confident in your game then it is easier to stay in the moment.”
When asked about which players he thinks need to alter their mentality to prosper in big match situations, Selby pinpointed world number 21 Jack Lisowski. He says that the Gloucestershire cueman has all the components to be a World Champion in the making.
As things stand, six-time ranking event finalist Lisowski looks set to require the qualifying stages to make it to the Crucible this year. Despite this dip in the rankings, Selby thinks that self-belief is the last ingredient which Lisowski, who is yet to capture maiden professional silverware, needs to add to his repertoire.
“I love Jack to bits, but I speak on behalf of all the players that he is so frustrating. He is so good and it is only a matter of time before he wins a tournament, but you watch him and it is as if he doesn’t want it enough at times.
"He is such a nice guy, it is as if he doesn’t have that firepower in his belly and he just enjoys being out there. For me he is a World Champion in the making. Sometimes his standard is up there with Ronnie, it is unplayable. He is probably one of my favourite players to watch. I think once he wins one then the floodgates will open. At the moment I don’t think he realises how good he is.
“Deep down, when you speak to him or hear him in interviews it is as if he doesn’t believe he should be there with the top guys. He is a top player. He played great at the Crucible in 2022, beat Neil Robertson and only just lost to John Higgins to miss out on the semi-finals. Who knows, if he won that then he could have been World Champion already. All the other players have more belief in him than he has in himself. That is scary because he is so talented.”