In an interview, Mark Williams paid tribute to the other two of the Class of '92, Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, who believed his old buddies still had the prowess to compete for the title. Williams also insisted that O'Sullivan was the undisputed greatest player of all time and the only one he was willing to pay to watch the game.
Text/eurosport
Williams won the British Open in August, a good start to the new season, but he hopes that after a season of no success, O'Sullivan will be back on the winning track.
O'Sullivan reached five finals last season and is now ranked third in the world, and he will play at the Northern Ireland Open in October.
Williams said: "He's the best player I've ever seen in my life. ”
"I've played with him since I was 10 years old and we've been playing professionally together for so many years. He's probably the only snooker player I'm willing to pay to see. ”
Williams will join O'Sullivan and John Higgins in January to celebrate their 30th year as professionals, and 30 years later, the three of them are still strong contenders for the title.
Since 1998, the three of them have won a total of 13 World Championships. In the past 23 years, they have won more than half of the world championships.
Williams said: "In other words, those young players are not enough to put us off the altar. ”
"We've also laid a solid foundation growing up, but we don't have as many amateur games to play like young people today."
"They just turned professional and had a chance to play against the top players and then lose. We have a very good atmosphere at the event now. There are competitions everywhere, u18, u21 and so on, and there are competitions every weekend. ”
"We do have a long career. Another reason may be that other players are just not good enough to beat us, especially Higgins and O'Sullivan. ”
"They (O'Sullivan and Higgins) can stay in the top 16 as long as they want. There is no doubt about it. ”
"Whatever effort they want to put in, there is a position waiting for them."
At the age of 46, Williams had a new goal for the sport he had been engaged in for many years, and he believed he had the ability to continue to hold the top position in the rankings.
"I think if I put myself into it, I know I can just get to the top of the rankings, maybe not the first, but I can get infinitely close to the first."
"But I'm not ready to compete for any rankings, I practice for two hours a day, I don't worry about the championship or anything, just enjoy it."
"I can say that right now I don't practice for six or seven hours a day, but that could change. Maybe in six months, I'll say I practice nine to ten hours a day. ”