Mark Williams contests his first World Snooker Championship final since 2018, but the Welshman has survived his share of personal struggles.
Welsh snooker star Mark Williams will be the slight underdog when he takes on Zhao Xintong in the 2025 World Snooker Championship final. 'The Welsh Potting Machine' will return to the Crucible decider seven years on from his last world title, since which he has come clean about a serious health condition affecting his play.
The three-time world snooker champion faces a battle against the odds to add to his World Championship collection in Sheffield. And he'll have to do so while battling an issue that has hindered his performance for some time. A £500,000 grand prize is at stake for the winner, with Zhao hoping to become the first Asian player to get his hands on the biggest honour in the sport. The prize fund has increased considerably since Williams last lifted the title and would be the most lucrative win of his career to date. This could be the veteran's last shot at the crown, and he'll do so with the support system offered by his wife, Joanne, who has made a startling admission about their marriage in the past.
Huge net worth
Williams has accumulated significant winnings in a professional career that dates back to 1992. As reported by Casino.org, his net worth currently stands at a staggering £7.1million, which has been supplemented by sponsorship deals and endorsements.
The Welsh Potting Machine sells limited edition cues, cases and cue tips via his official website. He's also a major poker fan and has competed on the European Poker Tour in the past.
OLBG reported Williams pocketed £438,500 last season alone, and a victory at this year's World Championship would inject another half-million pounds. Final opponent Zhao is at the other end of his career by comparison and boasts a reported net worth of just £1.5m by comparison.
Wife's marriage confession
Williams' life off the baize includes a 14-year marriage with Joanne, with whom he shares three sons: Conor, Kian, and Joel. And Hartlepool native Joanne candidly reflected on their relationship, which she has said "shouldn't have worked."
"An English girl, a Welsh boy working on different sides of the world," she wrote in a social media post celebrating their 25 years together. "It shouldn't have worked but we proved them wrong."
Although Williams clinched a third World Championship title in 2018, his absence from the front cover of the following season's 'Snooker 19' video game raised eyebrows. Joanne described the oversight as "massively prejudice."
"Snooker in general doesn't get the praise deserved and is constantly overlooked at the SPOTY awards," she wrote online at the time. "How do they expect others to respect the game when they don't even support their own World Champion #baffled."
The creators of the video game responded to the controversy surrounding their choice of cover athletes: "There are 128 players in the game and only space for four on the cover. We were never going to be able to please everyone so we worked with World Snooker to make the tough decision."
Surgery admission
Remarkably, the Cwm native has been performing under the weight of a troubling health condition. At 50, Williams continues to battle an eye condition severe enough that surgery is inevitable.
He has confessed how his sight has worsened in the past six months, sometimes seeing "three or four balls at a time." Williams recently shared his apprehension towards the surgery after conversations with others who have gone under the knife.
"I have been reading up and talking to people who have had it done and I've got to be honest, it is putting me off a bit," he said. "I've got a big decision to make.
"A couple of people I have spoken to, especially Anthony Hamilton at length, have said it is no good under the lights and it has ruined his career. It has sort of put me under pressure. After this is finished, it is something I am going to have to look more into."
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