Jamie Jones speaks out on mental health struggle as he fights to rediscover snooker love

Jamie Jones is working hard to rediscover his form and love for the game but has been struggling with the constant mental battle of a snooker career. The 36-year-old ended last season impressively as he knocked Neil Robertson out of World Championship qualifying and made it to the Crucible, but this campaign has been a struggle. The Welshman has found wins difficult to come by and life on and off the table was getting on top of him so much that he pulled out of International Championship qualifying in September despite having travelled to South Yorkshire for the match.

He hated making the decision but felt he had little choice given his mindset at the time. ‘I didn’t want to be going into tournaments feeling like I did. I was really lacking in confidence, paranoid about my game, I was an edgy bag of nerves for months, it was horrible,’ Jones told Metro. ‘I pulled out of a tournament, I was actually in Sheffield, 100 yards away from the event in my hotel and just thought it wasn’t worth it.

‘It was a culmination of things: lack of results, just generally feeling crap in myself, and not having put enough hard work in. I just thought I had to leave. I’ve never done that before and it was a bit of a wake-up call. I just didn’t want to feel like that.’. The three-time ranking semi-finalist says anxiety has always been an issue for him and professional snooker does not often help the situation, however, he has found that running has been a massive boost to his health.

‘I’ve struggled my whole life with things like that. Just generally as a kid, I always felt a bit anxious and a little bit on my own,’ he said. ‘I think I hide it well around the events. Secretly I can be at events in my hotel room and really suffering. ‘Running has helped me massively over the years. I like the fitness levels, it makes me feel physically good, but more the mental health benefits from running is amazing.

‘Pulling out of that event, to actually drive away was the most horrible drive ever. But I was in a place where I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I felt I couldn’t go out there and I don’t want to be like that. It can get on top of you and you need to take a step back. ‘I was driving home and felt like I’d done something so bad. But looking bad I didn’t do anything wrong, sometimes you’ve just got to take a step away.’.

The world number 61 recognises that his experiences are common on tour and felt by many players, especially those outside the top end of the rankings. He, like others, has found ways of dealing with the mental strains, but wants to rediscover the joy of playing that he had when he took up the game rather than the struggle he has experienced of late. ‘I’m not on my own here, every player is going through this,’ he said. ‘I’ve got respect for all my fellow professionals. I see players winning events and just think, flipping hell well done, because I know how difficult it is.

‘I have periods of it now but I’m older, I understand more about life, I’ve got my own kids. I’ve got tools to deal with it now. The running is huge for me. I try to enjoy the events wherever I am in the world, get my running shoes on and prepare for the matches. ‘I really understand these days what it takes out of me, but I don’t really want to play snooker anymore if it’s going to take that much out of me. I want to play on my terms I want to remember why I started playing. I loved potting the balls, loved playing well. Sometimes it gets lost in worrying about rankings and money. You have to remember why you started.’.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby had an enlightening conversation about mental health during the Masters and both suggested that having a professional on hand at tournaments to help players would be extremely helpful. Jones agrees and feels that an independent person available to speak to would be a very popular initiative with players. ‘The support is there. The only thing I’d say is that the support is 24 hours away or you can ring someone,’ said Jones. ‘I know other pros, the majority lower down the rankings with financial difficulties, there’s a lot of pressure. I think if there was an independent person you could go and see, there’s a real call for that.’.

Jones picked up an impressive win in the first round of the Welsh Open on Monday, beating Si Jiahui 4-2 to set up a clash with Robbie Williams on Wednesday. Arrow MORE: Shaun Murphy ‘absolutely sick’ after shock Welsh Open loss to world number 75. Arrow MORE: Ronnie O’Sullivan pulls out of Welsh Open just hours before he was due to play. Arrow MORE: Mark Williams talked into playing Welsh Open but can’t grumble with blistering start.