Mark Selby admitted he still has “good days and bad days” as he opened up about his mental health struggles ahead of the Champion of Champions final. The 42-year-old secured a showdown with Judd Trump in Sunday’s showpiece match after overcoming Neil Robertson in the semi-finals.

Selby has enjoyed a strong run at the Champion of Champions, which is being played in his hometown of Leicester. He began his campaign with a convincing 4-0 thrashing of Stephen Maguire, before defeating Mark Williams in a final-frame decider. And the Jester from Leicester battled past Robertson to secure a 6-2 win, with one frame being settled on the black ball after lasting for 63 minutes.

Selby has spoken about his mental health in the past and revealed in January that he tried to take his own life when he was younger.

And addressing his mental health during an interview with ITV, the four-time world champion explained: “I’m okay at the moment. Obviously, you’re going to have good and bad days, but at the moment I’m okay.

“I’m still on the meds, but I’ve told myself if it means me being on the meds for the rest of my life, then just use it as like a vitamin, really, because if I come off them and I go the other way, I wouldn’t want to be in that position.”

Selby then added: “I just think with me it’s strange because it all comes down to feeling with me.

“If I feel good in my game, I could go from playing terrible to then, if something clicks, I feel like I’m going to pot everything, and that could be from one match to the next. But just lately I feel like I’ve found something.

“I’ve not changed anything, but I’ve just carried on practising. I feel like I’m getting close to where I was.

“I’m fancying the big shots, which is huge. Whether you get them or not is a different thing, but if you’re looking at something and I fancy them, you’ve got half a chance of potting them.

“If I’m confident, I try and get on with it a little bit. If I doubt myself, I start looking for problems, rather than playing the first shot that you see, which more times than not is the right shot.”

Selby hadn’t won a tournament in 2025 ahead of his clash with Trump after reaching the semi-finals at the English Open and the British Open. But he will be aiming to overcome Trump at the Mattioli Arena after taking an early lead.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health support directory: https://hubofhope.co.uk/. You can call the Samaritans free at any time from any phone on 116 123. Lines are open 24 hours a day. You can also email jo@samaritans.org