Latest news with #ZakSurety
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘You sure you've got the right number?' – Snooker star who watched Crucible in pants suffering from imposter syndrome
SNOOKER star Zak Surety revealed he still suffers from imposter syndrome despite his growing success in the sport. Surety, 33, has made headlines ever since his semi-final run at the World Open in February before beating Antoni Kowalski, Jack Lisowski and Ricky Walden to make his Crucible debut in April. 2 2 The Essex cueman has come a long way from watching the World Snooker Championship at home in his pants, as he previously revealed four months ago. But despite all of his recent victories, the star from Basildon still struggles with anxiety and intrusive thoughts even though he has proven he belongs in the same category as the best. So much so that he receives texts from superstars like Neil Robertson and wonders if they got the wrong number. Surety told Metro: "I still get imposter syndrome around everything I do. I sit there at night and think: 'Am I really going to do that tomorrow?' "For example, driving up here [to the Championship League] and I've had Neil Robertson text me asking if I fancy a couple of games next week? "His name pops up on my phone. I'm thinking: 'Are you sure you've got the right number?' "I feel like I'm still…the imposter syndrome is still there every day but I do feel like I'm more of a player. "I'm going in the club in the morning, I know what I'm doing and I'm happier away from the table. "That's the biggest thing, away from the table, because there were times I just didn't want to play anymore. "But now with my girlfriend, we have a laugh in the evening, we have a laugh at the club which is a lot more chill, I think." Snooker fans baffled as star who's not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break Surety is still dealing with some of those negative thoughts while playing at top level. However, the snooker star knows how much he has improved and that has raised his confidence. Surety added: "Every time I'm playing, I'm still sort of thinking…the thoughts haven't changed, but I'm aware that I'm doing a bit better, so obviously that brings confidence. "But I never really feel still settled out there, I'm still a bit edgy. I'm waiting for that day when I go: 'You know, I think I belong here today'. And who knows, it might happen one day. "The only time it's happened was the second session at the Crucible. Which is mad, considering how I feel most of the time. "I do sit in my seat trying to think differently and something has changed, definitely, with the runs I've had. "Obviously it might put your opponents under pressure. You might be getting the odd chance more. I suppose that's just natural. "I've got to keep riding now. I've got to keep going. Hopefully more doors open. "Ali Carter's texted me to play next week. How good's that! I'll still be thinking like, what are you doing texting me? "But I've got it all sorted at the moment. I'll keep pushing on and hopefully go to the next level."
Metro
4 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Zak Surety still battling imposter syndrome despite dramatic career turnaround
Zak Surety may have enjoyed the finest few months of his career, but he is still battling himself on the table almost as much as his opponent. The 33-year-old first turned pro in 2014 but attracted few headlines with his performances until a run to the World Open semi-finals in February. The Essex cueman had never been to a quarter-final before that week in Yushan, which only saw him edged out 6-5 by eventual champion John Higgins. He proved it was not just a flash in the pan as he impressively beat Antoni Kowalski, Jack Lisowski and Ricky Walden in World Championship qualifying to make his Crucible debut in April. Things looked bleak at the iconic Sheffield theatre as he lost the first four frames to Ding Junhui, but then he settled, eventually losing 10-7 but becoming the first player ever to make four centuries on Crucible debut. It may have been a first round defeat, but the debutant showed that he belonged on the sport's greatest stage in that second session. Surety then won his first four games of the new season, further cementing his improved stature in the game, but while his confidence has been boosted, things are still not coming easy for him. The world number 64 as spoken openly about struggles with anxiety and intrusive thoughts during matches and while travelling, difficulties that have eased slightly thanks to his fine form, but have not disappeared. 'Every time I'm playing, I'm still sort of thinking…the thoughts haven't changed, but I'm aware that I'm doing a bit better, so obviously that brings confidence.' Surety told Metro. 'But I never really feel still settled out there, I'm still a bit edgy. I'm waiting for that day when I go: 'You know, I think I belong here today.' And who knows, it might happen one day. 'The only time it's happened was the second session at the Crucible. Which is mad, considering how I feel most of the time. 'I do sit in my seat trying to think differently and something has changed, definitely, with the runs I've had. Obviously it might put your opponents under pressure. You might be getting the odd chance more. I suppose that's just natural. I've got to keep riding now. I've got to keep going. Hopefully more doors open.' Surety is a very likeable guy, who enjoyed his summer off from snooker at Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Timberlake gigs with his girlfriend and a Pitbull show with his mates he only just remembers thanks to the power of Jagerbombs. His complete lack of ego could be to his detriment, but is also a nice quality of a world class sportsman. 'I still get imposter syndrome around everything I do. I sit there at night and think: 'Am I really going to do that tomorrow?'' Surety said. 'For example, driving up here [to the Championship League] and I've had Neil Robertson text me asking if I fancy a couple of games next week? His name pops up on my phone. I'm thinking: 'Are you sure you've got the right number?' 'Ali Carter's texted me to play next week. How good's that! I'll still be thinking like, what are you doing texting me? But I've got it all sorted at the moment. I'll keep pushing on and hopefully go to the next level.' There is definitely progress, as much as Surety struggles to accept that he is a player who can compete with anyone on the planet, he does now at least accept that he is a professional. 'The Wuhan [Open] qualifying was the first time it didn't feel like a final, it felt like I just rocked up for a day's work,' he said of his first game of this season. 'Go, play a game of snooker, get through and off to China. That's definitely a positive. I felt like a pro now, not just a top up.' As is the case with so many improving players, it is finding happiness and contentment in life, not just form on the table that leads to good results. Surety gives a lot of credit to his upturn in results to JP's Snooker and Pool Club in Harlow where he practices, its manager, Jason Pegram, who has become a mentor, confidant and travel companion on tour and the fact his girlfriend works in the club. 'I feel like I'm still…the impostor syndrome is still there every day but I do feel like I'm more of a player,' he said. 'I'm going in the club in the morning, I know what I'm doing and I'm happier away from the table. That's the biggest thing, away from the table, because there were times I just didn't want to play anymore. More Trending 'But now with my girlfriend, we have a laugh in the evening, we have a laugh at the club which is a lot more chill, I think. 'Jason's coming with me to Saudi and to China again, he came last time and we did well.' Surety is next in action when he comes in at round two of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters against either Iulian Boiko or Liu Wenwei on Saturday August 9. MORE: Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters 2025 draw, schedule, TV channel, prize money and odds MORE: John Higgins to lead new independent snooker players' association as frustrations mount MORE: Ken Doherty on Jimmy White classic matches, big nights out and moving gestures ahead of Saudi clash
Metro
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Zak Surety on wild Crucible debut: They can't ever move from there - it's mad
Zak Surety had a very eventful debut at the World Snooker Championship this year and although he both loved and hated the experience, he was convinced that the 'mad' Crucible is the perfect home for the event. The 33-year-old enjoyed his best ever season by a long stretch, reaching a first semi-final at the World Open and finishing the campaign with a Crucible debut after brilliant performances in qualifying. At the iconic Sheffield theatre he faced Chinese superstar Ding Junhui and the pair produced an amazing opening round contest. Ding went 4-0 up as Surety struggled with the occasion and things looked very sticky for the Englishman at the first interval. 'At the start I walked out and sat in my seat and that was the strangest I've ever felt,' Surety told Metro. 'I've never felt that uncomfortable. My arms didn't feel part of my body. It felt like my tip didn't belong to me. Everything felt wrong. 'I've got myself in a bit of a state and I'm 4-0 down. I'm in the dressing room thinking I really don't want to go out there. It's your dream, but I just didn't want to go back out there because I was making myself look like an absolute idiot.' Surety has spoken openly about his struggles with anxiety before, so it is to his immense credit that he overcame those feelings in some style, starting with only losing that first session 6-3. 'I made a century the last frame of the first session,' he remembers. 'When the screen came up it was probably the best buzz I've ever had because it was the whole Crucible to myself. The noise in there! I was welling up as I got to 90 and thought, is this really me? 'Obviously then the second day I flew.' He certainly did, becoming the first player in Crucible history to make four centuries on debut and although he ultimately lost 10-7, he did anything but make himself look like an absolute idiot. 'I actually watched the second session back last week and I don't feel like it's me,' he said. 'It's just some random bald bloke on the tele. I'm watching it back and thinking, did that really happen? 'I felt weird after because I left, I've set a record, I've played well, I can go home and the pressure of it is all over. They're all talking about me on the tele, great position going into next season, everything's good. 'Then you're home and you think about it and that was such a good chance. I was playing so well, I could have done something there and it quickly goes from feeling quite content about the whole experience to being quite annoyed.' Mixed feelings sums up the Crucible experience as Surety's first game there epitomised the cliché that the venue is both the best and worst place to play snooker. 'I sat down and tried to convince myself it was going to be the best place on Earth, but you get it drummed into your head how you're meant to feel in there,' he said. 'Mark Allen asked me how I was feeling and told me that he was there for the 19th time and still struggles every time he walks out there. It's like it's normal. 'I watched the opening morning before travelling up and Steve Davis said on camera: 'I can't wait to watch the top players in the world squirm under the pressure of the Crucible.' I looked at my girlfriend and said: 'Bloody hell, that's me this year!'' 'Although I hated those first four frames, that's how I'm meant to feel. You sit there, look left and that's where Steve Davis picked up all them trophies. I was looking up at the lights on the roof and tearing up. How the hell am I here? You find yourself losing yourself in the history of the place. 'At the start it felt like the walls sucked in on me and you just notice every set of eyes in the whole arena. I thought they were on me, which they were, but you notice it. The next day I was flying and it was like no one else was in there.' Surety was a huge fan of the place before playing there, but is now convinced that the unique nature of the Crucible is why it should remain the home of the World Championship, beyond the current contract which ends in 2027. 'They can't ever move from there,' he said. 'It's just…it's mad. 'It's so small in there, I think you're only allowed two back stage passes, but it works because you walk into the Champions Lounge upstairs and there's Stephen Hendry. As I walked in he said: 'Great run in the World Open, well done for qualifying, I'm glad to see you doing well.' I'd never spoken to Stephen Hendry before! Things like that make it mad.' The challenge for Surety now is to build on the very encouraging end to last season and make it back to the Crucible next year, something he is working hard on. 'I lost to Ding on the Tuesday and I was back here in the club on the Wednesday,' he said. 'I quite like that time of year because you're not practising for anything, just playing and having a laugh.' More Trending The popular Essex star also had a summer of cue questions which has seen him chop, change and return to old faithful which arrived from eBay a decade ago. 'My cue's not the greatest. I love it, but it's an old Chinese cue that my dad picked up off eBay about 10 years ago for 130 quid,' he explained. 'There are a lot better cues, but it's obviously my own. 'John Parris has made me a new one and I used it for three or four days. I like using other cues as a bit of a challenge. I think I've made a century with near enough every bit of wood in the club. But when it's handed to you and this could be something you're going into the season with, I couldn't do it. 'I had to call John and say you can have your you're very expensive, beautiful cue back. I want me little piece of poo off eBay back and I I'm cracking on.' MORE: Wuhan Open and British Open draws made as Ronnie O'Sullivan enters both MORE: Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty disagree on most underrated snooker player ever MORE: Anthony Hamilton reflects on epic career as Sheriff of Pottingham hands in his badge
Scottish Sun
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Crucible rookie makes HISTORY in first-ever World Snooker Championship match having watched last tournament in his pants
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JUST a year after watching the tournament in his underwear, Zak Surety wrote himself into World Snooker Championship folklore on his debut at The Crucible. The Englishman, playing for the first time in Sheffield, became the first player in history to hit four centuries on debut at the World Snooker Championship. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Zak Surety hit four centuries on his Crucible debut Credit: Alamy 2 Ding Junhui got the better of debutant Surety Credit: Getty Surety had come through qualifying to earn himself a meeting with 10th seed Ding Junhui - the Godfather of Chinese snooker - in the opening round. Ding, the beaten finalist in 2016 when he lost 18-14 to Mark Selby, ran out a 10-7 victor against Surety, although the world No. 73 greatly impressed on his first showing among snooker's elite. What made Surety's performance that much more impressive was the fact that last year, he had been sat at home watching the tournament in his pants. The Basildon Bull Dog admitted that he was "the biggest snooker nerd" when it came to the season finale. Surety, 33, said: 'Honestly, I'm the biggest snooker nerd when it comes to the Crucible. 'I like to sit in my pants for 17 days and just watch every session on TV. 'I don't move – 10am to midnight every day, just watching snooker. So to be involved with it now, it's unreal. 'I haven't even been there to watch before. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "I'm keen on my running. A few years ago, I thought I had never actually seen the place. 'I typed the address into my iPhone maps and ran towards it. When I saw the Stage Door, I felt my knees buckle." Shaun Murphy congratulated on 'winning 2025 World Snooker Championship' after 'magnificent' trick shot to win frame Humorously, Surety also said that he watched episodes of EastEnders on BBC iPlayer before games. He said: 'Not many people know but EastEnders goes up on the iPlayer at 6am. 'It's perfect prep for a game – a bit of Phil Mitchell and then the Crucible.' Unfortunately for Surety, he could not rediscover the winning touch that saw him get through three qualifying rounds, including defeating players ranked higher than him. Those scalps included Jack Lisowski, the world No. 25, and Ricky Walden, the world No. 40. Surety's conqueror Ding will go on to face either former world champion Luca Brecel or world No. 36 Ryan Day in the last 16, before a potential encounter with second seed Shaun Murphy in the last eight.
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Crucible rookie makes HISTORY in first-ever World Snooker Championship match having watched last tournament in his pants
JUST a year after watching the tournament in his underwear, Zak Surety wrote himself into World Snooker Championship folklore on his debut at The Crucible. The Englishman, playing for the first time in Sheffield, became the first player in history to hit four centuries on debut at the World Snooker Championship. Advertisement 2 Zak Surety hit four centuries on his Crucible debut Credit: Alamy 2 Ding Junhui got the better of debutant Surety Credit: Getty Surety had come through qualifying to earn himself a meeting with 10th seed Ding Junhui - the Godfather of Chinese snooker - in the opening round. Ding, the beaten finalist in 2016 when he lost 18-14 to What made Surety's performance that much more impressive was the fact that last year, he had been The Basildon Bull Dog admitted that he was "the biggest snooker nerd" when it came to the season finale. Advertisement Read more Snooker Surety, 33, said: 'Honestly, I'm the biggest snooker nerd when it comes to the Crucible. 'I like to sit in my pants for 17 days and just watch every session on TV. 'I don't move – 10am to midnight every day, just watching snooker. So to be involved with it now, it's unreal. 'I haven't even been there to watch before. Advertisement Most read in Uncategorized Latest BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "I'm keen on my running. A few years ago, I thought I had never actually seen the place. 'I typed the address into my iPhone maps and ran towards it. When I saw the Stage Door, I felt my knees buckle." Shaun Murphy congratulated on 'winning 2025 World Snooker Championship' after 'magnificent' trick shot to win frame Humorously, Surety also said that he watched episodes of EastEnders on BBC iPlayer before games. Advertisement He said: 'Not many people know but EastEnders goes up on the iPlayer at 6am. 'It's perfect prep for a game – a bit of Phil Mitchell and then the Crucible.' Unfortunately for Surety, he could not rediscover the winning touch that saw him get through three qualifying rounds, including defeating players ranked higher than him. Those scalps included Jack Lisowski, the world No. 25, and Ricky Walden, the world No. 40. Advertisement Surety's conqueror Ding will go on to face either former world champion Luca Brecel or world No. 36 Ryan Day in the last 16, before a potential encounter with second seed Shaun Murphy in the last eight.
