The latest news on May 5, 2022, Beijing time, seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan said in an interview that he does not plan to retire from snooker soon. The greatest player in snooker history declared that if he wanted to play, he could play until he was in his 50s. O'Sullivan beat Trump 18-13 at this year's World Championships, a victory that also made O'Sullivan the first of seven snooker Grand Slams. But even so, O'Sullivan still doesn't think he's surpassed Hendry because he insists he hasn't gotten there yet.
O'Sullivan: I believe I can play until I'm in my 50s
After winning his seventh world title, O'Sullivan regained his confidence to compete on the World Snooker Tour. O'Sullivan said: "I can totally play into my 50s if I want to. Obviously, I'm interested in snooker right now and I find everything here very interesting. I'm still a few years away from turning 50 and I might go and punch in some wins. By the time I'm in my 50s, I may be struggling to win a race or two, but I may not have a chance. For me, I don't need money anymore and if I have a great time here, I'll stick with it. If I've always felt happy, I think, I don't have a problem playing until I'm in my 50s. ”
O'Sullivan: I don't feel like I'm overtaking Hendry
While O'Sullivan has won an amazing seven-set Grand Slam and is widely regarded as the greatest player in snooker history, O'Sullivan doesn't think so. O'Sullivan said: "Actually, I don't consider myself the greatest player at all. If I had won eight world championships, I might have thought I was such a person, but I'm not doing it right now. And I don't want to be considered the greatest player, I just want to be someone who loves snooker and loves to play. I feel more like a snooker lover, I don't care about awards or trophies or accolades, I just want to enjoy my life and have some peace in the fun. We're not going to play here forever, so we're going to learn to be content, and I never thought I'd win seven world championships, it was all a surprise. ”
O'Sullivan: The future belongs to Trump and Zhao Xintong
Although O'Sullivan is already the peak of snooker, he believes that the future of snooker still belongs to young people like Trump and Zhao Xintong. O'Sullivan said: "The future will not be mine, because it is no longer my task to compete for the title honour. The future should be their young people, young people like Trump and Zhao Xintong. They're talented, they're talented, and I know the world of snooker is going to be a better place because of them. So in the future, I'll probably enjoy my snooker time as much as possible, and I'll choose the games I like to play and then make some adjustments to my plans. In fact, I like Trump and Zhao Xintong very much because they are so cute. After the World Championships, what Trump said to me touched me and I really loved him so much. Zhao Xintong is the star of the future, and I believe he will become one of the great players. I firmly believe that they will all be one of the best players of the future, and I have a lot of confidence in them, they just need an opportunity, a chance to go further. With them here, I'm sure Snooker will get better. ”