THE GREATNESS OF MARK SELBY
I often feel like Mark Selby is underappreciated and we should praise him more. And what better time than when he's just won another Triple Crown event, after beating Judd Trump in the final of the UK Championship weeks after beating the same opponent in the final of the Champion of Champions.
Last week I wrote about Ronnie O'Sullivan's greatness in tribute to his 50th birthday. His longevity and rivalry with Mark might be one of the reasons why the latter doesn't get the appreciation he deserves at times. But when you look at it, for as long as Ronnie's career has been, no one has ever stood up to him like Mark Selby did - he's the only player to have beaten Ronnie in finals of all three Triple Crown events and even during Ronnie's prime he was the one who finished SEVEN straight seasons as world number one.
But Selby isn't just about his rivalry with the GOAT. Let's not forget when he won three World Championships in four years at the Crucible from 2014 to 2017, then adding 2021 to make it four in eight years.
I remember the shock seeing him winning the 2016 World Championship playing far from his best snooker and nowhere near the standards we're used to see in Sheffield, but then he followed that up with five ranking titles in the 2016/17 season, including the UK Championship and the World Championship.
His ability to "manage the damage" in sessions when he's not playing great added to how he could eventually put his scoring together and draw distance in matches, made him unbeatable at the Crucible. When the 2017 World Championship arrived it felt like nothing could take the title away from Selby, and during those 17 days he showed just that, losing only 11 frames on his way to the semifinals, and then managing a close victory against Ding in the semis before a memorable comeback against Higgins in the final. That remains the last time someone successfully defended their title at the Crucible, and the list is very exclusive: only Davis, Hendry and O'Sullivan have also done that before.
Now, his 25th ranking victory in York is his 10th Triple Crown title, moving him up to FOURTH all-time. He also leads by far the list of players born after 1975 - the closest to him in that regard is Neil Robertson, with 6.
Growing up a fan of his rival, I confess that during the "Selby era" I didn't appreciate him as much as I should've done myself. But being a snooker-first guy and maturing with age, I've learned to deeply appreciate Mark Selby and the effort he's put into this game.
And I also can't help but sympathize so much with him on the personal side, with all that he's been through and all that he's had to deal with. I can only admire his strength to openly talk about it.
There's also a feeling of "nostalgia" about it now. Like I said, when I was growing up it was him and Ronnie dominating the tour and although it's not like it used to be anymore, both of them still win every now and then and it always brings back some nice memories from childhood. That gets me often cheering up for Selby these days.
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