- Written by Steve Sutcliffe
- Manchester Central BBC Sport
Mark Selby has not been in stable form this season, and has only reached the ranking final once.
Mark Selby said after losing 10-8 to Gary Wilson in the first round of the Tour Championship, “Maybe it's time to do something else.”
Four-time world champion Selby, 40, won the Championship League in March, but his form has been inconsistent and he has struggled for the most part this season.
“I fought and it was bad. If I keep playing like this, that's definitely the end for me,” Selby said.
His only ranking final was at the British Open in October.
Leicester-born Selby added: “I've always said that if it's not fun anymore, it doesn't matter if I'm number 1 in the world or 128th, I'm not going to continue playing.”
“I'm putting in the effort, but if you're putting in the effort for that kind of performance, it really seems pointless.”
Throughout his career, Selby has battled to overcome well-documented mental health issues, and recently suffered another personal break from snooker due to the death of a family friend from cancer. (His wife, Vicky, also had the same illness.)
“I felt flat out there,” he said. “This is a big tournament and if you can't motivate yourself for a tournament like this, something is wrong.
“My performances this year have been like night and day. I've been inconsistent. I started the season well, but in the middle my results were pathetic. You think you've found something, but in the next game It will return to its original state.
“It's not fun. I'm working hard and nothing is happening, so maybe it's time to do something else.”
“If I could get the same performance in Sheffield. [at the World Championship] That's it. ”
Carter & Williams continues to move forward
Meanwhile, Ali Carter held off a fightback from Barry Hawkins to win 10-8 and set up a place in the last eight with world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan, but given their history it is far from friendly. It looks like it's going to become a thing.
Carter led 7-1 after the opening session, but spent most of the night watching fellow Briton Hawkins make an impressive recovery before finally crossing the line.
Three-time world champion Mark Williams posted a break of 66 to defeat Tom Ford 10-9 in the final frame decider at the opposite table, defeating Judd Trump on Thursday (13:00 BEST). We set up a meeting with.
Welshman Williams, 49, secured a dramatic finale as England's Ford, who scored high from start to finish, hit breaks of 138, 133, 90 and 63 to win five of six frames. After that, I held back my nervousness.
wilson book chang date
Wilson, who won the Scottish Open and Welsh Open this season, led 5-3 overnight in his first appearance at the tournament, followed by 7-4 and 8-6 leads.
And although the 38-year-old secured victory by a margin of 105 points, he was completely unimpressed with his performance in Manchester.
“Mark struggled, but I struggled mightily as well,” Wilson said. “It was a game where we just tried to push and get over the line. I couldn't really take a positive view of it, but that's how it turned out.
“It wasn’t very good, so we have to find something for the next game.”
Wilson will next face China's Zhang Anda on Wednesday (1pm Japan time).
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