In the latest news on December 3, 2021, Beijing time, six-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan publicly said when talking about China's Zhao Xintong that the 24-year-old Chinese teenager is simply Federer in the snooker field because he is so remarkable. The youngster let the "Rocket" even in the middle of the game to take time to watch the other side's game, which is a very interesting scene. O'Sullivan treated Zhao Xintong the same way Ray Lilton had treated him. O'Sullivan believes that Zhao Xintong is the most talented person he has ever seen, but at present, Zhao Xintong has not really learned to play, and he still needs to strengthen his defense.
O'Sullivan: Zhao Xintong is really remarkable
In the mind of "Rockets" Ronnie O'Sullivan, Zhao Xintong is an extremely talented player, and his performance on the field is amazing. O'Sullivan said: "I think Zhao Xintong is really remarkable, I think he is our Federer, I have never even seen a player more talented than him. He did a great job in the win over Higgins, and he surprised people, knowing that Higgins was one of the best performers this season. He's one of the very few players who can reverse higgins to get the match point first, and his mental qualities and batting are really fantastic. I really have high hopes for him, but sometimes the results may not be satisfactory because his results are not convincing enough, and he still needs to prove himself, which is far from enough. ”
O'Sullivan: Zhao Xintong needs to strengthen his defense
Although O'Sullivan believes that Zhao Xintong's talent is the best, he does not blindly boast, because he points out the current problems of Zhao Xintong. O'Sullivan said: "I think Zhao Xintong still needs to strengthen his defense because excellent defense can make him go further in the game. If I hadn't had Ray Lilton help, I think I might have disregarded today's results, because Ray Lilton has improved my defense a lot. Like I said before, we can watch Alex Higgins play, but we have to learn Davis. The game looks good and just looks good, and that doesn't help us win more titles. Playing a game can't just look at whether it's wonderful, but also needs to use a wonderful game to win. Obviously, the current Zhao Xintong cannot reach such a level. So I think Zhao Xintong should learn something from my experience, he needs a coach who really teaches him to play defensive to improve his ability, otherwise his talent is difficult to cash in. ”
O'Sullivan: Zhao Xintong is not young anymore
O'Sullivan believes that although Zhao Xintong is very talented, he does have great shortcomings at present. He thinks it's time for Zhao Xintong to change his playing style, because the player is no longer young. O'Sullivan said: "Strengthening the defense may be what he has to do next. I watched him sometimes and I used to be a bit like that, but then Ray Lilton's help made me change myself and I would start playing a better defensive game. He needs to do that because when those images get a little messy, he always looks like he's going to perform second best. I admit he's good and some of his performances are incredible, but he's 24 now and he has to do that at some point to help him win the title. Hendry won the championship at the age of 17, and Ding Junhui won the championship very early, and their defensive ability is obvious to all. If you ask me how long his potential is? I may not be able to tell you. But what I have to say is that your potential must be reported with your strength and achievements, otherwise everything will not make sense. ”