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STRONG WIL
My wife lost licence due to epilepsy and had a stroke and my son needs surgery.. snooker’s taken a backseat, says Wilson
Kyren Wilson is facing challenges from many fronts
KYREN WILSON has spoken for the first time about the family turmoil that has impacted his Crucible preparations.
The Warrior, 32, heads into the flagship event as the 12th seed and with memories of making a sensational run to the final in 2020 when he lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan over two days.
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Yet Northampton ace Wilson has been juggling with major issues at home and away from the baize.
A loyal family man, Wilson has been forced to reduce the length and frequency of practice sessions to drive his kids to school and hospital appointments.
His wife Sophie had to surrender her driving licence due to epilepsy but she is on the mend and hopefully will be soon back behind a wheel.
And his six-year-old son Bailey is due to undergo surgery next month to correct a broken nose suffered in a school accident.
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It follows a worrying episode last year when Bailey spent five days in hospital – doctors initially thought it might have been a tumour – following inflammation of his stomach and bowels.
Wilson, who has two children, told SunSport: “It’s been a bit of a challenging year.
“There have been lots of things going on with the family. So snooker has had to take a little bit of a backseat this year.
“Not necessarily something I’d have like to have done or chosen to do.
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“My wife’s had to surrender her licence because of her epilepsy. That was brought on by Bailey being really ill last year.
“Off the back of that, it has triggered her epilepsy again. She had a silent stroke."
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Wilson added: “Now Bailey has gone and fractured his eye-socket and his nose. He is due for surgery in May.
“It was just an accident at school. He ran straight into a wooden gym rail and bust up his face.
“I’ve had non-stop hospital appointments with him. But he’s alright, he’s tough as old boots.
“I’ve been nonstop. I’ve hardly been able to practise. I haven’t really able to travel a lot. It’s part of having children, isn’t it?”
Wilson has only made one semi-final this season of a TV tournament, which was the German Masters in Berlin in February.
Yet he has scored heavily on the table, with 61 centuries this season, a mark only bettered by Judd Trump (76) since last June.
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No qualifier will want to draw him in Sheffield for his first-round date on Tuesday and he has memories of hitting a 147 in last year’s tournament.
Wilson said: “It has been quite tough, I think it has impacted my season quite a lot.
“I’ve been quite close with deciding frames. If they had gone my way, you might be looking at a totally different season.
“But my stats are still good. I’m second on the century count.
“I think the modern-day game is mostly about scoring. If your scoring figures are there, you will still be dangerous.
“In the past I have always been one that doesn’t like to talk about things at home. I keep it quiet.
“I had a chat with my wife the other day. Sometimes you can get unnecessary harsh criticism or pressure.
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“I think it is good sometimes to open up and what I found last time I did that with Bailey’s ill-health, I received a lot of support from the snooker community. So that helps as well.
“Listen, I know I can turn it on when I want to, get the results when I want to. For the Crucible you do need to have a little bit extra in the tank.”
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