Gary Wilson wants change to snooker's 'stupid sensitivity to showing emotion'

Yesterday at 03:37 AM

There remains a ‘stigma’ in snooker attached to showing emotion during matches, something that Gary Wilson believes is ‘stupid’ and needs to change.

Snooker is clearly a quiet game, played in near silence while players are taking their shots, but Wilson wants to see the some of the emotion shown in other sports embraced when it is appropriate.

The Tyneside Terror takes on Shaun Murphy at the Masters on Sunday, a player happy to deliver a fist pump and get the crowd involved after winning a frame.

Wilson has absolutely no problem with it and would like to see more of that passion in snooker, feeling that there is still a negativity towards that kind of reaction which needs to change.

‘He can do what he wants in that regard and I'd be the same,’ Wilson told Metro. ‘I've done it once or twice in the past in big moments when I've won.

‘I think it's a mentality that needs to change in snooker. I'm not excusing everything, even things I've done in the past when it's been negative, or recently Matt Selt when he had that little outburst, I'm not excusing that.

‘But at the same time I think in sport there are emotions, good or bad, and there's still a lot of sensitivity about showing emotion in snooker. Every other sport it seems to be absolutely fine and nothing is said about it.

‘I'm not excusing silly behaviour, but there seems to still be a stigma around doing almost anything. “Ooo you've fist pumped there!” So what. I still think there's a bit of that around and I think it's stupid.

‘I'm not excusing things during a game or putting your opponent off, but doing what you want at the end of a frame, fist pumps, shouting out, it should be just the same as any other sport.

‘It will always be a gentleman's game, but it's still a competitive sport and the crowd want to see it as well. A lot of snooker is very boring, let's be brutally honest. A lot of it can be very quiet, not a lot going on and when there are moments of drama the crowd want to feel that drama.

‘Sometimes we as players, when we're trying really hard, it can be really intense and sometimes you want a little bit of a release.’

The 39-year-old is relishing the lively atmosphere of the Masters at Alexandra Palace this weekend, with his only other appearance in the event coming during the pandemic, behind closed doors in Milton Keynes.

Wilson wasn’t even due to be in that 2021 edition, but got a late call-up after Jack Lisowski tested positive for Covid.

‘The only other time I played at the Masters was during Covid, so obviously I’m looking forward to playing there for the first time,’ he said.

‘I was there as a reserve, thinking I wasn't going to play, but I was down there getting a bit of practice and was told I was in. I couldn't believe it. But it didn't last long, got pumped off Kyren first round and I was straight home, so it didn't matter.

‘Although the money was great! £15,000! It wasn't any great experience though, it was just an empty room, no atmosphere.

‘Alexandra Palace is one of the only ones I haven't done. So I've wanted to go for quite a few years, sample the atmosphere, see what it's like and hopefully have a good run as well.’

The world number 16 is hoping to build a bit of confidence again after an underwhelming campaign so far with the only real highlight being a quarter-final run at the International Championship.

‘I've not had a good season, not had any good results, I've had some really bad ones recently, to be honest,’ he said. ‘But I'm hoping I can find something, turn the season around and have some good runs, get into that Players Series [Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship].

‘The Masters isn't going to affect that, but it's obviously an event I'm looking forward to. It'll not even be about how far I go, but more about how I feel and how easy it's coming on the table.

‘If it keeps being hard, feels like torture as you're scraping through…you can even get to the semis or the final and feel like you're struggling so it makes no difference to the next one. I could win one game and lose in the quarters but feel good, and that could make more of a difference.’

‘I'm just wanting to enjoy playing because it's not been great.’

Wilson has shown that he can burst into life impressively over the last two seasons, winning back-to-back Scottish Open titles in 2022 and ’23 and last year’s Welsh Open.

There was disappointment when he returned to defend his title in Edinburgh this season, though, when he opened the event in the underwhelming 10am slot, which is before television coverage starts in the afternoon.

He says the case was made for the defending champion to be given a TV slot, but it was denied, and he went on to lose his opener Long Zehuang in fairly anonymous fashion on a stream.

‘It's an issue I've brought up and it's been a thing for two or three years. I brought it up last year because I was on at 10am last year when I defended it,’ he said.

‘It's happened to other people as well. We took it to the board, brought it up through the WPBSA, through the right channels, and unfortunately they don't feel it's worthy.

‘The only thing I was pushing for was the defending champion having a TV slot. Not the exact 1pm slot, just any TV slot that day. You get a bit of the recognition that I feel you deserve as a defending champion.

‘The argument against was the commercial aspect, the viewing figures, but when we're only asking for one of four slots…every player I've spoken to feels that it's perfectly understandable for the defending champion to get one of those slots.

‘That 10am slot is just on streaming, you don't even get introduced. I'm expecting the same at the Welsh, unfortunately.

‘I do understand that it's about who is going to bring in the cash and the viewing figures. I never think I should be on whatever table because of my ranking or I've won this or that, but I think the defending champion should be considered for a TV slot.’

Wilson will certainly be front and centre at the Masters on Sunday night, when he faces Murphy at 7pm.