SEL OUT
Mark Selby threatens to QUIT snooker as he fumes at ‘pathetic’ Tour Championship exit in live TV interview
A former world champion has been left "concerned" and "surprised" by the comments
MARK SELBY has threatened to quit professional snooker if he replicates the “pathetic” form he showed in his Tour Championship exit.
The Leicester Jester was eliminated 10-8 by Gary Wilson in a low-quality first-round tie in Manchester in the penultimate event of the season.
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The four-time world snooker champion, who has had battles with mental health down the years, was angry and crestfallen by his display over two days of play.
And Selby, 40, vowed to hang up his cue for good if he does not rediscover his mojo when the World Championship takes place at the Crucible this month.
ITV snooker interviewer Rob Walker commented post-match that it looked like it could be a “legendary Selby comeback”, especially from 7-4 down.
But the world No.5 responded: “No, I don’t think so. I mean I was pathetic really, from start to finish. Probably one of the worst games I’ve played as a professional.
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“Definitely up there for sure. If I carry on playing like that, then yeah, I won’t be enjoying it and I will be choosing a different career for sure.
“Neither of us played great in the second session, Gary played well on Monday and deserved his 5-3 lead. Today neither of us played great.
“I was like that all match. I deserved to lose.
“I will give the World Championship a go, but if I keep playing like that, I’m not going to carry on.
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“100%, I have always said in interviews before, when it gets to the point that I’m not enjoying it, then it doesn’t matter where I am in the world rankings, I will be hanging up cue up.
“I can’t enjoy performances like that.”
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Ken Doherty, Ireland’s 1997 world champion, said: “It’s a concern. It surprises me.
“Probably a kneejerk reaction. He’s been one of the most successful players that the game has ever seen. One of the toughest players.
“He has come back from defeats before. I am sure he will come back up again.”
Wilson, 38, may have progressed to face China’s Zhang Anda in a best-of-19 frames quarter-final but he, too, was frustrated by his cueing action.
The North East cueist hit a century of 101 in frame seven but received a warning by the ref for whacking the table for missing a red to the middle pocket in the 15th frame.
The Tyneside Terror said: “I don’t know how I won that. I’m thankful that Mark didn’t play very well. I was embarrassing to be honest. The cue action wasn’t there on day one.
“I felt deep down all along I was struggling cueing-wise. Just tried plugging away.
“I was not cueing very well. I can score when that is happening. It felt bad.
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“That’s why I missed so many balls. Gave him so many lifelines. I’m not enjoying it.
“If I had played decent and Mark played as badly as he did, I should have won 10-3 or 10-4. It was that bad it came very close. Sometimes there is self-sabotage with my shots.”
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