‘Just beat me’ – Anxiety left Zak Surety dreading snooker matches and fearing for his future

Zak Surety is back on tour after coming through Q School, but his battle with anxiety is as big a challenge as any opponent he will face on the professional circuit.

The 30-year-old won through the second event this season thanks to beating talented Belgian teenager Ben Mertens in the final round, making it the second time he has been through Q School to earn his place on tour.

The Basildon-based player admits that the spectre of the brutal tournament in Sheffield has been looming large in his mind ever since he came through it two years ago.

‘When I first got back on, it’s always in the back of my mind,’ he said. ‘I’m thinking, “I’ve got to get off to a good start or else next year I’m going to be struggling and end up back at Q School, I don’t want to be back there.” But it’s a fresh start now.’

The constant concern over Q School is illustrative of the mental struggles Surety has to deal with, as he tries to fight through anxiety that makes everything so much more difficult for him.

Such was the impact of his mental struggles last season that he planned not to return to Q School when he dropped off tour, assuming it would be a waste of time and money.

‘I wasn’t even going to enter it, I thought I was in no right head space at the end of last season,’ he said. ‘I’ve got anxiety issues, I was struggling to play.

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‘I saw the names dropping off and just thought it would be a waste of money. You’ve got [Michael] Holt, [Kurt] Maflin, [Andrew] Higginson, it’s horrible in there. Then all the youngsters like Ben