In the latest news on April 25, 2022, Beijing time, six-time world champion Steve Davis said that O'Sullivan, who performed well at the World Championships, is setting a benchmark for the performance of other snooker athletes on and offstage. O'Sullivan has maintained his illustrious form since the World Championships and is currently chasing a record that is on par with seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry. O'Sullivan eliminated Gilbert 10-5 with a 3-0 deficit and reached the quarter-finals with a 13-4 win over former Masters champion Mark Allen in the second round. After the game, Allen thought he hadn't found the secret to winning at the World Championships, and Davis thought he should learn from O'Sullivan.
DAVIS: O'Sullivan set the benchmark for the stage
In the eyes of six-time world champion Davis, O'Sullivan has set the benchmark for other snooker players. Davis said: "I think if you want to win the world championship, you have to pay more than you think. Allen said he hadn't found the secret to winning at Crucible yet, but I would say that what I'd rather see was the price he paid on stage and offstage. O'Sullivan maintained good habits of fitness and practice offstage, which allowed him to make a name for himself in Crucible at such an age. Mark Williams' athletic hobbies have also allowed him to excel here, and Higgins has returned to the gym. And all of this is the credit of O'Sullivan. Because his exercise habits and self-discipline have affected a lot of people, he sets the standard for them and people begin to return to a healthy state. ”
DAVIS: Alan should go and learn from O'Sullivan
While Allen said in an interview that he hadn't found the secret to winning at Crucible, Davis didn't agree with that claim. Because he felt that Allen did not put in the effort he should have, and that was the reason why he lost. Davis said: "I think Allen should learn from O'Sullivan, not only in terms of practice, but also in terms of psychological construction and self-discipline. O'Sullivan runs long distances not because he really likes to run or for his health, but because he wants to make his career a little longer. And that's the professionalism of the players, if you don't do it anymore, you won't continue to run for a long time, you won't go back to the gym for a long time. So O'Sullivan is setting a benchmark for players, and if you don't put in his effort, it means you're not doing enough. ”
Davis: The secret to winning is to look at the gaps
In Davis's view, O'Sullivan was happy at Sheffield because he wanted to play at his best to win the title. And this also brings strength to O'Sullivan, because it will give him great spiritual inspiration. Davis said: "If you have a weakness in your heart and you don't overcome it, when you come to the game, you will feel guilty for not overcoming your inner weakness. In fact, the secret to winning the World Championships is to look at the gap, you need to look at where the gap between yourself and the world champion is. Maybe it's tactical thinking in the game, maybe it's playing your best game, or something else. Some players will do that, some players might do that. Some players may not practice enough, and some players may not pay the price in the gym. Whatever it is, it can make it impossible for you to win the world championship. So you have to look at the gap between yourself and the world champions, such as diet, mental construction, fitness, tactics, or other aspects. You need to adjust all aspects to the best of your ability, and if you don't, maybe you can get away with it without treating your talent fairly. ”