Rocket Ronnie not intending to land for some time to come
O’Sullivan won his sixth UK Championship on Sunday
Ronnie O’Sullivan revealed his thrill at matching records held by Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry as he vowed to play on for years to come.
A sixth UK Championship title for O’Sullivan in York equalled the remarkable haul that Davis accumulated in his 1980s pomp.
O’Sullivan also joined Hendry on 18 triumphs in Triple Crown tournaments, the series made up of the blue-riband World, UK and Masters events.
He grew up with Davis as his hero, before joining a professional tour that Hendry dominated throughout the 1990s, which was O’Sullivan’s formative decade as a professional.
“I totally respect them,” O’Sullivan said. “They were just so much better than everybody else and everybody loves a winner, don’t they?
“They love somebody that can dominate a sport and Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry did that. Phil Taylor in darts, Tiger Woods in golf, Michael Schumacher in Formula One. You have to admire it, their longevity and their skill.”
At the age of 42, O’Sullivan is giving off no signs of slowing up. He has landed three ranking titles inside two months, moving him to 31 for his career and just five short of Hendry’s all-time record, which looks increasingly assailable.
Shaun Murphy, the player he beat 10-5 in the York Barbican final, predicted O’Sullivan could stay at the top for another decade.
Whether five-time world champion O’Sullivan ever matches Hendry’s record of seven Crucible titles remains to be seen, and that looks to be the greatest challenge remaining for him.
Refreshingly, he is not talking of retirement, as he has so often during his career. Instead, O’Sullivan is newly energised, striking a positive balance between snooker and outside interests, such as his television punditry and becoming a published novelist.
He has spoken of a wish to go into the I’m A Celebrity jungle next year, and should he take part in the ITV show that may mean he misses the UK Championship.
Yet far from giving up snooker, O’Sullivan sees the sport again as a fundamental part of his life.
“It keeps me on the straight and narrow,” he said. “If I wasn’t playing snooker I’d probably be a little bit off the rails, enjoying myself, all that sort of stuff. As long as I play snooker it reels me in a bit, so I’ll keep playing so it keeps me out of trouble.
“I don’t practice as much as I probably used to or feel like I should, but it seems to be working and I’ll keep showing up and being a nuisance.”
O’Sullivan competes at the Scottish Open this week and faces Michael Georgiou, a player he thrashed 6-1 in York, in his opener on Tuesday.
