Mark Selby lifted the UK Championship trophy for a third time on Sunday night in a triumph that will go down as one of his finest given he was considering quitting snooker just last year.
The 42-year-old beat Judd Trump 10-8 in a dramatic final in which he raced into a commanding 7-2 lead but then found himself wobbling at just 8-7 in front, before getting over the line.
A third UK success, to go with his four World Championships and three Masters titles, Selby now has 10 Triple Crowns on his CV, with only Ronnie O’Sullivan (23), Stephen Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15) boasting more.
He cemented his position as one of the game’s greats long ago, but his latest big win has just reminded onlookers of his brilliance, four years on since his last Triple Crown win at the Crucible.
After potting the winning balls, Selby was reminded that it was just over 18 months ago that he was openly talking about retirement, falling out of love with the game to the extent that his mental health was at risk, having long dealt with anxiety and depression.
Retirement will have felt a long way off after winning the £250,000 top prize, but he told the BBC at the Barbican: ‘I’ve always said over the years, the time I stop enjoying it is the time I stop playing and for a while I wasn’t enjoying it.
‘I was performing poorly, not really enjoying the challenge and thought to myself, maybe I should start looking at something else.
‘But I’ve got no qualifications from school at all, so I’ve got nothing to fall back on. I had a regroup and thought, it’s not a bad way to make a living, so I’ve got to carry on.’
Selby, as the Jester from Leicester will do, laughed at the situation now, but it was a testing time for him in 2024 and one he spoke openly about throughout.
Here is the journey from considering retirement to conquering the UK Championship in Selby’s own words.
2024 Tour Championship – ‘I can’t enjoy performances like that’
‘I was pathetic from start to finish,’ he said on ITV. ‘Probably one of the worst games I’ve played as a professional. If I carry on playing like that I won’t be enjoying it and choosing a different career, for sure.
‘I’ll give the World Championships a go but if I carry on like that I won’t carry on. 100 per cent. I’ve always said, when it gets to the point I’m not enjoying it, it doesn’t matter where I am in the rankings, I’ll be hanging my cue up. I can’t enjoy performances like that.’
He added: ‘My performances this year have been like night and day. There has been no consistency. I started the season off OK and then was pathetic midway through. You think you’ve found something and the next game you are back to where you were.
‘If I put in the same performance in Sheffield that will be me done.’
2024 World Championship -‘ I do my own head in’
Selby’s trip to the Crucible in 2024 was as bad as he had feared as he was beaten 10-6 in the opening round by Joe O’Connor and was left considering his options.
‘I’ll sit down with [wife] Vikki over the summer, have a few weeks off and try to switch off from snooker and then I’ll see what the best option is,’ Selby said of his future. ‘The majority of this season I’ve not really enjoyed at all.
‘I’ve stopped myself from playing. A couple of matches here and there I’ve let myself play. Like the O’Sullivan game [6-0 at the Players Championship], I played like I was in practice.
‘Overall I’ve stopped myself playing and I do my own head in. From where I was before [with mental health], the last thing I want to do is get to that position and snooker’s obviously going to be putting me in that position, that’s not where I want to be, so I need to sit down with Vikki and have a think.
‘For me, my happiness is the most important thing. Everything I’ve achieved and I still can’t go out there, let myself play and enjoy it. There’s obviously a mental block somewhere. If I do decide to carry on I’ll probably work with somebody and see where that goes. If not I’ll probably still be involved in snooker at some degree, but not playing.
‘I still enjoy practice because I go out there and play and I’m playing well in practice. That’s the frustrating thing. Then I go out there and something just switches and I don’t let myself go and play. Maybe I’m trying too hard, but you’re only going to play your best snooker if you relax and I’m stopping myself from doing that. I need to try and overcome that hurdle.’
2024 Xi’an Grand Prix – ‘That’s gone now though, so I’ll look forward’
Speaking at last year’s Xi’an Grand Prix, Selby accepted that he should never have gone to the Crucible in the headspace he was and vowed to skip events unless he was mentally ready for them.
‘I’m always up and down. Last year I played in a lot of tournaments when I probably shouldn’t have, even the World Championship,’ Selby told Metro.
‘I went there and tried, but looking back I probably shouldn’t have, Vikki doesn’t think I should have. If I go to a tournament I want to know I’ve got a chance of winning it. Deep down I knew the way I was I didn’t have a chance. That’s gone now though, so I’ll look forward.
2025 World Championship – ‘Completely night and day’
Selby didn’t actually curtail his schedule at all, but felt comfortable enough to keep playing and enjoy a great 2024/25 season, winning the British Open and Welsh Open.
He arrived in Sheffield in April feeling entirely different to 12 months previously.
‘Night and day, completely night and day,’ Selby said on the eve of the World Championship. ‘Even coming here on this media day [last year] I was still questioning myself, thinking should I be here? Should I do it?
‘I thought once I’d done all the interviews on media day I can’t really pull out because it’s all built up. I made my decision to play but looking back I shouldn’t have done. You live and learn.
‘After the World Championship I had a big think about it and spoke to the doctor I was dealing with a few years ago.
‘This year I’ve been in a better place having spoken to him and the longer it has gone on I’ve learned to understand it a lot more and learned to deal with it a bit better, I don’t think you ever overcome it but you learn to manage it.’
‘It was pathetic really, from me’
Despite a much improved mindset going into the Crucible, Selby suffered a significant setback on the table, beaten again in the first round, this time by Ben Woollaston.
‘I didn’t deserve to win,’ said Selby afterwards. ‘Ben played some great stuff, his safety was unbelievable at times but I still had my chances. It was pathetic really from me. To play like that is disappointing.
‘It’s the same old story – I try too hard and stop myself from playing.’
2025 Champion of Champions – ‘It’s a while since I have felt like that’
In a testament to the work he has put in on his own mental state, Selby did not let the Crucible disappointment damage him and this season has gone exceptionally well so far.
After beating Trump to win the Champion of Champions last month, he said: ‘I played well from start to finish and I knew I had to because Judd is the man to beat.
‘I have felt good about my game for the last few days, I have found something and I know I have to stick with it. It’s a while since I have felt like that so it was great to play to that standard in a big final.’
2025 UK Championship – ‘Winning breeds confidence’
After sublime performances in York, not just in the final, but also notably in his semi-final victory over Shaun Murphy, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful for the Jester ahead of next month’s Masters.
The champion also showed his class with a message for the runner-up.
‘Winning breeds confidence. If you can’t get confidence from winning then you’ll never get it,’ he said. ‘Not only that but the last two tournaments I’ve won I’ve played Judd, who’s an unbelievable player.
‘I love playing him, I see it as a challenge. I put him up there with Ronnie on a pedestal, he’s great to watch and fantastic for our game.’
The 2025 UK Championship was Selby’s 25th ranking title. How many more are there to come in this monumental career?