Mark Selby believes a break in the sun has put him in good shape to defend his Welsh Open title next week.

The world No.4 escaped the snow and freezing conditions of Leicester for a week in the Canary Islands.

He flew out to Lanzarote days after losing his Masters title to Ronnie O'Sullivan last month.

But since his return, he has practised solidly in preparation for the defence of his Welsh title, which he won last year after recovering from 8-5 down against O'Sullivan to triumph 9-8.

It was Selby's first ranking tournament victory, and he is relishing his return to Newport where he opens his account against Cardiff's Paul Davies on Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm really looking forward to going back to Newport," said Selby. "It's a place I know well.

"It's where we used to play the qualifiers before they moved to Prestatyn, so I spent a lot of time there. And it was even more special when I won the title there last year.

"I'm probably even more motivated for this tournament after losing my Masters title – I desperately want to hang on to this one.

"It was very disappointing to lose the Masters, but it gave me the experience of trying to defend a title so that should help me in Newport."

Selby has been putting in the hours on the practice table since his holiday, including several warm-up matches with fellow pros Michael Holt and Joe Perry.

"It has been good to get back into the swing of things and sharpen up my game a bit," said Selby.

"I needed to have a break, recharge my batteries and put down my cue for a week.

"I didn't do too much apart from lie around in the sun. The weather was good, apart from a few days when it rained on and off, but it was much better than what was happening over here!

"Now I feel fresh and raring to go again, and I'm looking forward to defending my title."

Selby, who could do with the ranking points after slipping down to No.9 in the provisional rankings, is expecting Davies to raise his game for their first-round clash at Newport Leisure Centre.

"I can't remember having played him before, but he must be playing well to have beaten Barry Hawkins in his final qualifying match," said Selby.

"And he will have a lot of local support behind him. But I don't mind that because I thrive on the big crowds as well.

"And I'm sure he will raise his game against me as I'm the defending champion. It's always a compliment when people do that, but again I don't mind because it means I have to raise my game as well."

World No.57 Davies won three rounds to book his place against Selby. He said: "I really wanted to get through because I get a crack at the defending champion in my home tournament and we'll be guaranteed a TV match."

Selby's match against Davies is televised live on Eurosport at 1pm on Tuesday.