Kyren Wilson didn’t take kindly to comments Chris Wakelin made about him ahead of their British Open meeting, advising his rival to be more careful with his words.
The pair met in the opening round of the British Open this week, with Wakelin providing some feisty talk beforehand.
There is something of a debate over who is the best player with the rest in snooker, which often comes down to Wilson vs Shaun Murphy.
However, Wakelin made it clear he has no time for the rest chat, telling Metro: ‘I think it’s quite pathetic, to be honest: “I want to be the best at something. I want to be the best at something that probably doesn’t make any difference to your game.” I want to be the best all-rounder.’
Wakelin went further, telling his rivals to ‘grow up’ and get over the ‘sausage competition’ they have got involved in over their rest play.
‘It’s all a bit of a sausage competition, shall we say,’ he said. ‘I think the pair of them need to just grow up and find something else to talk about.
‘Every time they get the rest out, they’re like, “I’m the best because I’ve potted one with it.” There’s a life to be lived, guys. Get over it.’
Wilson is not impressed, saying he was disappointed by the comments from someone he has practiced with in the past.
The 2024 world champion recognises that words can be taken differently when heard face-to-face or read from a page, but suggests Wakelin be more cautious with what he says.
‘I’ve had quite a few people messaging me about it since my wife pointed it out to me,’ Wilson told Metro of the comments. ‘I don’t know in what context or sense Chris has been talking about me and Shaun, but the thing that Chris needs to be careful of is sometimes when people read things, it can be taken in a totally different context compared to how you would say it to somebody in person.
‘I know Chris is kind of naïve and new to all of this, he’s not been at the top of the game for very long and he’s probably in a position where he’s quite inexperienced with stuff like this.
‘I’ve had my fingers burnt saying some things and I’m quite aware of sometimes when you put stuff out there, you’ve got to be careful with how it can be taken in the media.
‘So I think he needs to just maybe take a little step back and just be careful in some of the things he’s saying because it doesn’t come across well.
‘From my point of view, I helped Chris an awful lot in the early part of his career, practising with him when he was struggling and giving him advice. Me and my wife have almost been like a shoulder to cry on for him.
‘It did disappoint me, if I’m honest, it’s not really sat very well with me.’
Wilson won their clash 4-1 in Cheltenham on Monday and also warned Wakelin that firing up elite players can go wrong.
‘If we have a chat face-to-face, it might be taken in a totally different context,’ he said. ‘This is why I would like to give my response, because I think it’s a message, not just for him, I think it’s the wider tour and the youngsters or players that are finding their feet.
‘Just be careful with some of the things that you come out with and say. The last thing you want to do is fire up top players.
‘It must have been on his mind that we were playing, so perhaps that was his way of trying to get under my skin. But I think you’ve got to be careful, like I say, because if you start firing up top players it can bite you on the backside.’