According to the latest news from the British Metro on January 18, 2025, four-time world champion Mark Selby is very dissatisfied with the snooker table conditions at Alexandra Palace during his classic match against Allen.
Selby expressed in an interview that he believes the condition of the snooker table is terrible and he has not made any excuses for himself. In the quarterfinals of the Masters against Allen, Selby lost 2-6 in a long match and was eliminated in the top eight.
When talking about the snooker table in this match, Selby said that it was obvious in the fourth game that the table was tilted to the right. Moreover, Selby also thinks that Allen had excellent luck, which made him feel that some things were destined.
After losing the key match, Selby was obviously very dissatisfied with the snooker table. In this classic match, Allen won the victory in three crucial games with long duration and close scores. Compared to the final score, the actual gap between the two players was very close.
When talking about this match, Selby said: "The fourth game was the most obvious one. I could clearly feel that the snooker table was completely tilted to the right when I hit two shots. When I tried to play a safe shot with the red ball, I couldn't put it in the pocket because the black ball blocked the line." "When I hit half a ball, it actually became a whole ball because the table was tilted to the right. I was helpless and really felt powerless. I think they should focus on providing a standard snooker table. I understand that if there are seven or eight tables, it's hard to focus on each one. But even if you focus on one table, you still can't do well, which is really terrible."
When talking about this classic match, Selby continued: "If people don't say anything, then I think they just want to cover it up, that's all. But I think the snooker table fitters should check the level after each match. Mark Allen told me at halftime that he hit the same shot there, which was exactly the same for him. Both shots deviated to the right."
However, Allen from Northern Ireland was not willing to get involved. He said: "No comment. I am currently being disciplined for the snooker table conditions, so I would rather not answer this question. I am just waiting for the new match."
The World Snooker Tour later issued a statement saying that although Selby had expressed his opinion, they had not received complaints from other players about the Masters. The World Snooker Tour stated that they always listen to player feedback and strive to provide the best playing conditions.
In fact, Selby not only felt that the snooker table conditions did not help him at all, but both players also believed that Allen had very good luck in the match, despite Leicester Joker hoping that Allen would perform well in the semi-finals against Shaun Murphy.
Selby said: "At certain moments, you will feel that everything is too cruel. Sometimes you feel that it is destined. But you know what, when Allen gets the chance, he grabs it better than me, so I wish him all the best."
In fact, before Selby criticized the snooker table at the Masters, Chinese number one Ding Junhui also criticized the snooker table conditions during the Scottish Open.
Objectively speaking, in recent years, many players have criticized the snooker table conditions. But to this day, the World Snooker Tour has not introduced specific measures to solve the problem.