Ronnie O'Sullivan in December 2019
Photo:Nigel French / dpa
The five-time snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan criticized the level of the next generation of players on the sidelines of the World Cup in Sheffield. He said he saw absolutely no competition in the young professionals in his branch. "The younger players who are coming up are not that good. They might look good as amateurs. Or not even as amateurs. Many of them are so bad," said the 44-year-old Englishman in a BBC interview.
He would have to "lose an arm and a leg for me to fall out of the top 50. That's probably the only reason we're still doing so well," he explained, "because it's so poor down there in the end." O'Sullivan, who has set numerous records over the course of his career, is sixth in the world rankings. At this year's World Cup he is already playing for his sixth World Cup title.
In the quarter-finals, the superstar of his sport will meet Mark Williams, who is one year older and also three-time world champion. In the quarterfinals, O'Sullivan is 44 years old and is the second oldest professional after Williams. The average age of the eight quarter-finalists is 36 years.
"As if we were playing in a morgue"
Williams and O'Sullivan both made their professional debut in 1992, and since then they have played against each other 45 times. When asked if he would have thought then that he would still play today, O'Sullivan said: "Probably not if you had asked me then. But if you look at the level I would say yes."
For the 18th time in his career, O'Sullivan is in the top eight at a world championship in Sheffield. This time he also complained to the BBC about motivation problems. In between he would have played as if everything was just fun, and he would not have cared whether he won or lose, he said - which he put on the missing audience. "Of course it's better to play with the fans. Now it's like playing in a morgue."
The World Cup should actually have started on April 18, but has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and will now take place from July 31 to August 16 without spectators.
Icon: The mirrorara / dpa