Zak Surety has progressed markedly over the past 12 months, reaching the semi-finals of the World Open and is now set to make his Crucible debut. The 33-year-old will make his first appearance today (Monday) when he takes on Ding Junhui.
Since turning professional in 2014, Surety has faced several issues - with his anxiety proving to be a significant obstacle in preventing him from showing his true potential on the biggest of stages.
Speaking last year, the Essex man told the : "It's improved but it's still there, I wouldn't say I'm right on top of it. Every match I go into is still like a proper ordeal.
"On match day, in a way, it's like closing your eyes and hoping for the best. Sometimes I've come out with some good results, but I'm never happy with how I play, I still don't think I've played well. I had a bit of a wobble again recently in the British [Open], quite a bad one to be honest. I let myself down a little bit because of how I was feeling."
Surety has not shied away from talking about his anxiety, and he spoke at length with snooker legend Steve Davis to pick his brains on how to deal with the pressures. He continued: "I had a meeting with Steve Davis, we went and met him in a coffee shop and picked his brains for a couple of hours.
"He was great. He gave me a few little tips on how he dealt with things, not when he was at the top, but when he was coming off it. He told me about some breathing techniques, books to read and just things to do in your head. There was a lot of times last season it was working, but sometimes your head just goes a little bit too far, you can't hear Steve anymore, you hear other things."
Surety had never reached a quarter-final prior to his strong showing in the World Open in February, and as a result, he has previously dreaded taking to the table.
He concluded: (rogue quote mark again) "I love being a snooker player, but every time a draw comes out I'm thinking, 'I hope this doesn't happen again.' I try not to be all doom and gloom about it, but it does hold me back."
