On January 18, 2022, Beijing time, hawkins, who had just won the runner-up of the Masters, said when talking about the spell of his personal career O'Sullivan, not because he was too nervous, but because the latter's ability was indeed too strong. Hawkins is convinced that O'Sullivan is the best presence he has ever played against in his career and the hardest opponent he can beat. O'Sullivan's strength over him is that no matter how well you play, as long as you give him a glimmer of life, he may cause a counterattack. Although many people think that Hawkins's psychological quality is too poor, he thinks it has nothing to do with his own psychological quality, because he has never been afraid of O'Sullivan in his heart.
Hawkins: It wasn't nervous against O'Sullivan
While many people think that Hawkins is always nervous about O'Sullivan, Hawkins believes that this is not the case. Hawkins said: "I don't get nervous because my opponent is O'Sullivan, but I'm very excited because every professional player wants to beat him to complete their own fame, but it's never an easy task, I'm not a player like Selby, I'm not doing a good job tactically. I'm not a player like Trump because I'm not as talented as I am. So I know exactly where my limits are, but I don't know where O'Sullivan's limits are. I knew what Selby and Trump were thinking, but I didn't know what O'Sullivan was thinking. So facing him often loses not because you're nervous but because you don't know what he's going to do. ”
Hawkins: O'Sullivan's ability is too strong
Losing to O'Sullivan is never a happy thing, because no one wants to lose, but there are some things that you have to learn to accept. Hawkins said: "I think the main reason for the loss to O'Sullivan is that he is too capable. Maybe you can get a lot of advantages, but you don't know if you're going to win until the last minute of the game, and that's the pressure O'Sullivan puts on everyone. The difference is that some people may not meet the best O'Sullivan, and I always seem to be able to meet the best of him. Maybe it's a bit bizarre to say, but that's the truth. When O'Sullivan was playing with me, you could barely find a weakness in him. At least I couldn't find a place like that, maybe I wasn't capable of it, maybe I wasn't lucky enough. ”
Hawkins: The strongest opponent is O'Sullivan
Throughout his career, Hawkins considers his most formidable opponent to be O'Sullivan, as he is always the hardest to beat. Hawkins said: "Since I became a professional player, O'Sullivan has been my toughest opponent to beat. In fact, I don't feel pressure when it comes to players like Higgins, Selby and Trump. But when I meet O'Sullivan, I'm a little bit stressed, so it's a very different feeling. The match that impressed me the most was the 2013 World Championship final, where the guy played a terrible 6-shot 500 and 11-shot 50+ performance. I don't know who else in this world has ever met such a terrible opponent, even if you only meet once, it is enough to make you unforgettable. However, this was not his only highlight moment. The Masters final is also a past I can't forget, I remember that in that game, I seemed to win the first game, and then he took over the game. Against a player like that, I think there's going to be a limit to what any opponent can do. I've never been afraid of O'Sullivan, but I really admire his ability. He's the kind of opponent you can't give a chance to, and maybe a seemingly inconspicuous chance could be a turning point in the game. And that's what characterizes O'Sullivan, losing to him, what else can you do but admire? ”