John Higgins believes Ronnie O'Sullivan will not retire in recent years. In contrast to the fact that he's heard O'Sullivan talk a lot about his retirement plans for the past 30 years, Higgins wants his old rivals to still be able to play by the time they're sixty.
文/Phil Haigh，《Metro》
O'Sullivan mentioned his retirement plans in an interview earlier this week, with O'Sullivan planning to play three more World Championships before embarking on a global tour of exhibition matches.
O'Sullivan first expressed his idea of retirement as early as the 1994 British Championships, and Higgins, who grew up with O'Sullivan, had long been dismissive of O'Sullivan's rhetoric. In fact, Higgins believes O'Sullivan will remain active in the snooker movement for at least the next 15 years.
Higgins said: "I've heard O'Sullivan say I've been retiring for 30 years! ”
"Will he retire? Listen, of course there will be a day of retirement, but not as he says. I think O'Sullivan will play until his sixties, of course this is just my personal opinion. I may have been wrong, but looking at what I'm saying now in 13 years, I think he'll still be active in the snooker movement by then. ”
Higgins, 46, feels he's a better player than ever, and although he thinks he can stay in top positions for a few more years, he doesn't plan to still play at 60, but he thinks Ronnie will still be playing then.
"I don't know about me, maybe I'll retire and enjoy the fun of raising my children and teasing my grandchildren with my wife."
"I've been fighting for this profession, I've been working hard for this profession, I've put everything in for snooker, so I don't think I'm going to have that long career. But for someone like O'Sullivan, I think he can. ”
"But you get to a certain point in your life, no matter what you think, everything around you becomes uncontrollable. Your vision may start to deteriorate, you may also get sick, who knows what will happen? ”
"I'll be fifty years old in two or three years, so you don't know what's going to happen in your life. I very much hope to be able to compete and work outside the home. When you play well at the table, you still have a sense of accomplishment. ”
After Tuesday's 4-0 win over Oliver Lanes, Higgins said he felt he was now a better player than at any time in his previous career, and O'Sullivan also thought Higgins' rise in form was good news for the sport.
O'Sullivan said: "This is good news for the snooker movement. See john Higgins enjoying his game and playing well, awesome. ”
"He's been successful in fitness and weight loss and has started to enjoy his life, what a wonderful state for John. It is our luck that the Tour was able to have his involvement. If you are in good shape and play better, then you will gain something. ”