Ronnie O’Sullivan cast doubt over his chances of winning an eighth world championship as he spoke during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year competition. The 47-year-old won his seventh title this year, equaling the record set by Stephen Hendry, but admitted this title may be his last.
Only Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis (eight) and John Pulman (eight) have more titles under their belt than O’Sullivan, but no player has more titles than the Rocket in the modern era. He also became the oldest-ever winner of the trophy, and explained how he continues to compete at the highest level.
“It’s just an appetite to love the game, to play. I love competing, when you love what you do you can’t wait to get out of bed every day,” O’Sullivan told host Gary Lineker. “At my age I was more tired, so getting over the line when I physically didn’t feel I had it in me. The enormity of it hits you a bit more. Before it felt quite comfortable. All those feelings hit me at once.
“The top players rise to the big occasions. The crucible is a venue like no other, the pressure it provides can make or break you. When I first turned pro, I was happy with one World Championship. That was my dream, I never try to get greedy, each one is a bonus. If I was to get to eight, fantastic but there’s a lot of young players coming through. Age might be catching up with me.”
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O’Sullivan spoke from Dubai where he is currently on holiday with his family, and is up for the award alongside Beth Mead, Ben Stokes, Jessica Gadirova, Jake Wightman and Eve Muirhead, though Lioness Mead is the favourite to win. It came as no surprise that O’Sullivan was not in attendance, as he previously criticised the award for not recognising snooker enough.
“You’re competing with Formula One, tennis, golf and the Olympics,” he said in 2016. “They give it like 10 seconds on BBC Sports Personality – it’s a complete insult to the sport. But it’s what they think of it and what they believe it warrants, and that says it all really.
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