Jones 'struggled to breathe' during Selby defeat
Jak Jones revealed he was struggling to breathe at times during his heavy defeat to Mark Selby in the first round of the World Snooker Championship. The 2024 runner-up was comfortably beaten 10-2 by Selby on Wednesday. He said breathing difficulties caused by asthma meant he could not concentrate and can even develop into a panic attack, though he did not blame the health problems for his exit.
"I practiced quite well and felt quite good coming here. But I felt absolutely shocking this morning, probably one of the worst I've felt in a match," he said. "When you can't breathe, you can't be composed and I feel pressure in my head and get headaches.
"It turns into a panic attack because I can't breathe and I want to just rip my shirt off. "I probably would've lost by the same scoreline but it just makes it harder with my asthma if you can't breathe properly. " Jones, 32, explained his asthma condition is the reason he does not wear a bow tie when competing.
O'Sullivan and Selby ease into last 16 at Crucible 'I'd run the M4 naked' - Williams targets snooker history O'Sullivan's 'rolling the dice' cue gamble pays off He has sought medical advice about the issue but has so far been unable to find any resolution. "I can end up feeling absolutely terrible, I get tremors and stuff like that," he added. "If I take my medication it can make it worse [when playing] as it can give me the shakes.
"It happened in my last match [qualifier] against Luca Brecel but I got through it. " Jones trailed 7-2 after the morning session against four-time champion Selby having felt "absolutely shocking". The world number 19 recovered later in the day but had no answer as Selby claimed the three more frames required to seal victory.