Exclusive: Chris Wakelin Ready to Prove He Belongs Among Snooker’s Elite

Chris Wakelin is buzzing about the prospect of making a dream Masters debut — but warned the field “I’m not here for a day out”. 

The 32-year-old has propelled himself up the rankings in the past two years to qualify for the elite 16-man event at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace.

Rugby potter Wakelin has transformed himself from being a journeyman professional, making just four ranking quarter-finals in his first nine years on the tour to winning a maiden title at the 2023 Shoot Out and reaching big finals at the Northern Ireland Open and the International Championship in the past two seasons.

Off the table, Wakelin has bought a house and is expecting a first child with his partner. 

A very proud Wakelin told SportsBoom.com: “It’s going to be special competing at the Masters. It’s something I never necessarily thought I would achieve.”

“The reality of being down the lower end of the rankings during my career so far meant the Masters was never really a possibility.”

“A lot’s changed for me in the last two years, I’ve never felt stronger on and off the table psychologically.”

“The first time I qualified for the World Championship it was very much the feeling of ‘I’m here’…I never really felt like I was going to do well.”

“Whereas I feel I’ve really earned my place at the Masters with my performances over the past couple of years. I’m not just going there thinking it will be a nice day out to play in front of a big crowd.”

“It’s a big opportunity for somebody like me who has finally managed to find that missing link.”

“I’m hopeful I’m going to go to Ally Pally and showcase why I’m there in the first place. I want to do some damage.”

FROM DELIVERY DRIVER TO BIG STAGE

Competing in front of almost 2,200 people at one of snooker’s marquee events was a distant dream for Wakelin when he was an ASDA delivery driver before making the leap to turn professional in 2013.

And despite a decade of struggling for consistent results, Wakelin has become a regular at the business end of events in recent times.

He qualified for the World Championship for the first time in 2018, pushing Judd Trump close in a 10-9 thriller and has been back to the sport’s spiritual Sheffield home twice since.

“For me, as much as I was at the Crucible and felt like I could win I always felt like I was one of the crowd bizarrely,” recalled Wakelin, who linked up with a sports psychologist to help unlock his full potential. 

“I’m not an out there extravagant person. I’m from real humble beginnings and the one thing I want from my career is to be truthful to myself and remain level headed."

“Sometimes it’s difficult to see yourself in the limelight doing well. It’s an amazing thing, but sometimes you have to pinch yourself."

“I’m a lot more prepared to deal with that situation and tell myself I do have the right to be here, I’ve earned the right to be in this tournament and I’m going to show everyone why I’m in the top 16.”

I WON’T BE A RABBIT IN THE HEADLIGHTS 

The sport’s biggest stars relish drawing a debutant at the Crucible or Ally Pally due to the enormity of the occasion. 

But Wakelin is prepared for former world champion Luca Brecel when the pair meet on Wednesday night.

“It won’t be my first time there. I’ve been down a few times to watch [Mark] Selby play," added Wakelin. 

“My old manager put his arm around me and said ‘you’d love to be back here in a few years time giving me the nod and a win’ and I replied ‘yeah, we’ll come and watch the darts’. Obviously he meant me being in it."

“I just never saw it as a possibility, but things have changed now."

“The past few years have been magic for me. I said two years ago I wanted to eclipse the season I won the Shoot Out. And I wanted to eclipse last season, which was such a good season with deep runs a final of a ranking event, but I think I have done that."

“The biggest change for me is consistency. I’m consistently finding myself in the later stages of tournaments. That’s no coincidence, that’s the concoction of things that make me who I am on and off the table.”