Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan, 48, told Sky Sports before the start of the World Snooker Championship on Saturday: “I still think I have one or two more world titles in me. As long as I feel young at the pool table, age is just a number”
Last updated: 04/18/24 6:53 p.m.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan says if the World Snooker Championship were moved to Saudi Arabia, he would find the tournament more convenient as a player
Ronnie O’Sullivan says if the World Snooker Championship were moved to Saudi Arabia, he would find the tournament more convenient as a player
Ronnie O’Sullivan says a record eighth victory at the World Snooker Championship will give him his best season in the sport before the tournament begins on Saturday.
O’Sullivan won the UK Championship and Masters for the eighth time in December and January respectively, and is now looking to repeat the feat at the Crucible to complete snooker’s ‘Triple Crown’.
The 48-year-old believes his game is in good shape ahead of his opening clash with Welsh qualifier Jackson Page on Wednesdaybut adds that a first round elimination is just as likely as him lifting the trophy for an eighth time to break the record he currently shares with Stephen Hendry.
Jackson Page made his only appearance at The Crucible in 2022
“In the last few days I started playing well and I started to like this job,” O’Sullivan said. Aerial sports.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if I won, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if I lost the first round. Snooker doesn’t make sense sometimes.
“I still think I have one or two more world titles in me. As long as I feel young around the snooker table, age is just a number.
“I thought I was done at 35, but I’m still going at 48. I’ve still won a lot and I’m still number 1 (in the world), which is a bit of a miracle in itself.
“I’ve been working at it for a long time and I still feel like I have five, six, seven good years left in me. Who knows, as long as I’m still having fun and enjoying it.”
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Asked if completing the Triple Crown would represent his best snooker season, O’Sullivan replied: “Absolutely.
“I won the UK Championships, the Masters. The Triple Crown is what all snooker fans and players measure things by, so to have all three in one go would be awesome.
“And I also won in Shanghai, which is one of my favorite events.
“I’ve won quite a few big events this year. I’ve had a great season and Sheffield would top it all off.”
Could the Word Snooker Championship leave The Crucible?
O’Sullivan has criticized the Crucible in the past and, after signing a three-year ambassadorial deal this week to help grow snooker in Saudi Arabia, there is speculation the world championship could one day take place. move to the Middle East.
In March, Saudi Arabia hosted the first unranked World Masters of Snooker event, which will return for the 2024/25 season, while a top-ranked tournament will take place there in August in the form of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters which will take place have a prize pool of £2 million – the highest of any tournament outside of the World Championship.
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Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol assesses whether the World Snooker Championship could be moved to Saudi Arabia
“The Crucible is a great venue, don’t get me wrong,” O’Sullivan said. “There’s a great history and I have good memories there, but, as a snooker player, you thrive in an environment where everything is taken care of.
“It’s difficult to get in and out of, it’s difficult to get a proper allocation for training times, it’s a busy place and the World Championship is a huge event.
“I think Saudi Arabia could take this tournament, grab it by the scruff of the neck and turn it into Wimbledon or Roland Garros or the US Open and really make it a great event.”
The Sheffield Crucible has hosted the World Snooker Championship since 1977
He added: “Look, Sheffield has a history and that will never change.
“A lot of people are wondering: What about history there? Come on man, history really is being rewritten every day.
“I think if Eddie (Hearn) and Barry (Hearn) and World Snooker decide it’s right to take him to Saudi Arabia, then why not?”
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