Parents write the baby’s future and guides them to the right path. Whereas, for Mark Selby, the world can’t say the same. Losing both his parents at a very tender age, it’s better to say that he’s self-made. The English Professional snooker player Mark Selby has won several accolades and achievements in his gaming career. On the all-time list of ranking tournament winners, he has won a total of 22 rankings, placing the star player high on top.

Moreover, he is the only man to have achieved the world champion crown in both pool and snooker. However, the 4X world champion didn’t have a smooth early life. Despite winning competition after competition internationally, Selby’s life took a chance at defeating him at 8 years old. Selby, one of the greatest snooker players in the world, has faced several hardships during his upbringing.

Mark Selby making his dad proud

In 1999, when the world champion was just 4, his father passed away after a month of suffering from cancer. With just the bat of an eyelid, one of his lamps got extinguished. Soon after, his mother suddenly left, leaving the little boy in utter dismay. Recently, Selby opened up about his not-so-pleasant life and sheds light on some past traumas.

Not long after his father expired, little Selby attempted suicide. Without any comprehension of the gravity of self-harm, Selby felt a mental blow. Throughout his sparkling career, he has forthrightly battled several mental health issues, always trying to pull him back. While talking about his beloved father, Selby’s eyes moistened. In a 2007 interview, he said that his dad passed away when he was about to hit the pro circuit at 16. His mother’s memories are vague, whereas his brother visits him occasionally.

The 40-year-old dedicates a great deal of his career to his friends and brother. Talking about his dad, he said, “I know he is looking down on me. If he was here, he would be coming to the tournaments and hopefully would be very proud of me, as he was a very big driving force. He kept pushing me.” His wife, Vicky, the ‘rock’ of his life, has been through thick and thin.

 Selby’s incredible journey

In 2007, he reached his first World Championship final and lost to John Higgins. Further, he made his Crucible debut in 2005. Selby earned his maiden ranking title at the 2008 Welsh Open, in addition to his first major victory at the 2008 Masters. The snooker genius has won the World Championship three times in four years, from 2014 to 2017. That’s not it. He further attained world number one status for the first time in September 2011 and maintained it between February 2015 and March 2019 over the course of 4 years.

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However, his extensive career accolades don’t end here. In professional competition, he has recorded more than 750 century breaks, including five maximum breaks, one of which is the only one ever to have occurred during the World Championships final. Even though he lost to Luca Brecel in the World Snooker Championship 2023, he has girded up his loins for a comeback.

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