O'Sullivan tells fans what to expect of him at 2024 World Snooker Championship
Ronnie O'Sullivan has warned fans against expecting him to win the World Snooker Championship in 2024, despite setting a new record by winning his eighth UK Championship.
The Rocket defeated Ding Junhui 10-7 in York on Sunday to become the oldest champion in the tournament's history. Sunday's win meant that he broke the record set by Doug Mountjoy in 1988.
Remarkably, O'Sullivan is also the youngest-ever UK champion, having won his first title when he was just 17. He has also won the UK Championship in 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2018, as well as amassing 40 ranking event trophies.
While he consolidated his position as world number one, O'Sullivan has warned fans against expecting him to win next year's World Championship. The Rocket has won seven world titles, with fans desperate for him to add an eighth, though the Englishman is not confident.
“You get a different appreciation for it. I am really experienced now so I don’t panic as much and I don’t worry. I get times when I think I’m 7-5 up and haven’t really flew. That is because my base level B and C game is still pretty high," he said.
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"You just have to focus, so now I think I use my head more and win matches with my experience more. It’s just bonkers isn’t it? That we’re 48 and still winning tournaments. I just don’t get it.
"Sheffield will be a hard thing to do, because it is 17 days. Physically that will be a tall ask of me, John (Higgins), or Mark (Williams) to win. These tournaments that are a week we can still do it.”
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O'Sullivan won the UK Championship on Sunday to consolidate his world number one status (Getty Images)The afternoon session saw Ding fight back from 4-1 to level at 4-4 heading into the evening. O'Sullivan fired an 84 break to regain the lead before he took charge to go 7-5 ahead at the mid-session interval.
Ding again fought back to level the match at 7-7, before O'Sullivan dug deep to push himself over the line. And the champion insisted that he has not lost his love of the sport in which he is widely regarded as the Greatest Of All Time.
“I love it. I love competing, I love performing, I love playing and I love that I went out there tonight and I used my head. Because at the end of the day I have this thing in my head that people want me to play perfect snooker," he added.
"My friend said to me the other day that they don’t. He said they love your thoughts and love all of the ups and downs of it. I just wanted to go out there today and try hard to be professional and honest. If I won great and if I didn’t then at least do my best.
“It was an honour to play Ding. He’s such a classy player and such a classy guy. To share the table with him in that venue and in that final was an honour. I know there will have been so many people in China watching that final supporting Ding and supporting me as well."
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