Matt Selt regrets his outburst at the climax of his game with Artemijs Zizins in German Masters qualifying, saying an apology to his opponent has been accepted.
Zizins beat Selt 5-4 on Tuesday in Sheffield in dramatic fashion, fluking match ball which elicited an angry reaction from the Englishman.
As the final red rolled into the unexpected pocket, the 39-year-old loudly shouted ‘Oh my God!’ and fumed in his chair, with the 18-year-old clearly uncomfortable.
There were awkward scenes as the players shook hands, with Selt wishing the teenager good luck but Zizins obviously feeling guilty about how things went.
The clip of the incident went viral and Selt has come in for criticism, but he says he meant no malice towards the youngster and has apologised for putting him in an uncomfortable position.
‘It didn’t occur to me at the time but I have realised that he’s a young professional, probably looking up to a senior player, not in terms of what I’ve done in the game, but just as an older player,’ Selt told Metro.
‘I shouldn’t have made that outburst. It is raw emotion of live sport. It wasn’t malicious or derogatory. I said “well played” and “good luck” after the game. The game was played in great spirits.
‘I reached out to him after and said: “I’m sorry about yesterday, I hope the outburst didn’t upset you, it wasn’t meant like that and good luck in Berlin.” He messaged back and apology accepted.’
The situation certainly looked bad as Zizins continued at the table after the vocals from his opponent, clearly playing in uncomfortable circumstances, but Selt says the outburst was effectively a concession.
‘I can’t stress enough from my side that for me it was after the match had finished,’ he said. ‘I understand it looks bad, but I’d already decided to concede once the red went in.
‘There’s no way I would have carried on if he missed the blue. I wasn’t trying to put the kid off. If he missed the blue I was getting up and shaking his hand anyway.
‘But as a senior player there’s no way I should have acted like that. He’s a lovely lad and he’s a very, very good player, potted some silly good balls in that match. 100 per cent I regret doing it, and especially in front of someone so young and new to the game.
‘I certainly didn’t mean to upset him or make him feel uncomfortable in any way, it’s terrible on my behalf if I’ve done that, but it wasn’t intended to be rude or derogatory. But as I say, I’ve reached out to him and apologised and he’s accepted it. I regret it and don’t want it to affect him going forward.
‘Emotions run high. The game’s played with passion and we all try our best. It was so big for me that match because it’s probably cost me a Grand prix slot.’
After shaking hands, Zizins admirably offered the words ‘have a good Christmas’ which Selt was thoroughly impressed by.
‘It shows the class and character of him really, because he fluked match ball and looked distraught about it,’ he said. ‘To then say something nice to me on the way out shows the class of the kid.’
Zizins booked his spot at the German Masters in Berlin with the win and is back in action on Sunday in World Open qualifying against Mark Selby.
Selt plays on the same day in the same tournament against Manasawin Phetmalaikul.
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