At the time, he stated it was once the very best night time of his existence. It was once May 2, 2016 and Mark Selby had simply sealed his 2nd World Championship name handiest 13 mins after his loved Leicester City had been topped Premier League champions.
The Jester from Leicester was once all smiles as he posed for cameras with a Foxes flag and the Crucible trophy, earlier than embracing his spouse Vikki and one-year-old daughter Sofia.
But underneath the floor, the global of the global champion was once caving in.
‘Vikki said she came to the table to greet me and rather than being excited, I stared through her as if she wasn’t there,’ remembers Selby. ‘She said I didn’t in point of fact have a good time. She spotted I was once going thru it then.
‘I spoke to the doctor and we watched the footage back. He said, “By your body language and how you were acting, you were definitely going through it without even knowing”.’
Coming into the Crucible this yr, 2nd seed Mark Selby is in a a lot better position
Selby celebrates with a Leicester City flag after successful his 2nd World Championship name
A couple of months later, Selby was once prescribed anti-depressants. However, it took him some other 5 years earlier than he went public about his combat with melancholy. That got here final January after dropping in the quarter-finals of the Masters, when he posted on social media that he had suffered a ‘relapse’ along with his mental health.
‘From out of nowhere, it hit me like a ton of bricks and I wasn’t taking part in the rest,’ he explains. ‘I didn’t in point of fact have a existence. I was once locking myself in the area.
‘Not even doing anything with Sofia. Not really being a father figure. Not being a good husband. I was basically just living and not doing anything.
‘Vikki kept saying, “You need to speak out and try to let people know” but I didn’t really feel courageous sufficient to start with. I suppose I would have most likely damaged down.
‘Hence why I did it on social media. Once I actually did that and people said, “Brilliant for you to speak out, it helps so many people”, then after that I felt like I could talk about it.’
Selby took six weeks out from snooker earlier than final yr’s World Championship, when he went in as protecting champion. Although he misplaced in the 2nd spherical to Yan Bingtao, it was once outstanding he even became up.
‘I felt like I had won the tournament, just even being able to play,’ he admits. ‘I was still coming out of the other side of what I had opened up about. I played better than what I was expecting to play. But I was fragile mentally.’
Coming into the Crucible this yr, Selby is in a a lot better head house. The 2nd seed remains to be taking drugs. But he has won two score tournaments this season and displayed all his outdated fighting qualities to sneak previous Matthew Selt 10-8 in the first spherical on Thursday.
‘Mentally, I am in a better place to be out there to compete — and that is showing on the table,’ says Selby, who faces fifteenth seed Gary Wilson in the 2nd spherical nowadays. ‘When I spoke to the doctor, he said you never overcome it. You learn to live with it better and manage it better. That is the position I am in at the moment.
‘Every day when I wake up, I write down something that I want to complete that day. It could be anything. Like take Sofia to the park after school. It gives me a goal.
‘I am still on medication. If it means me being on them for the rest of my life and I am in the place I am in at the moment, I will accept that.’
Given his fresh struggles, Selby is aware of a 5th name would be additional particular. ‘If I was to win it again, I think it would probably mean the most out of all of them,’ he admits. ‘But the biggest thing for me now is the enjoyment part. As long as I am in the place I am at the moment mentally, I’ll feel free.’
The 39-year-old not sees silverware in Sheffield as the be-all and end-all
It is a mindset Ronnie O’Sullivan has followed and one that has resulted in him equalling the document for most global titles. That stands at seven, however Selby, 39, is handiest 3 off that mark. Could the outright document of 8 be on the playing cards for him?
‘I might have another 10 years,’ he says. ‘If that is the case, then to win another four in 10 years — is that possible? Of course. But if I don’t win some other one then I wouldn’t be devastated as a result of to win 4 is incredible.’
Before the interview concludes, some other situation is put to Selby. Would he take successful a 5th name this yr if it supposed Leicester had been relegated?
‘You can’t put me in that place,’ he laughs. ‘From a selfish point of view, I would have to say yes. But it would be nice for me to win it and Leicester to stay up as well — that would be another thing to celebrate.’