Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan was in a jovial mood after defeating Dave Gilbert in the first round of the World Snooker Championship at the iconic Crucible Theatre - and he fired a dig at Hossein Vafaei.
The 46-year-old performed well against Gilbert in a match that truly showcased the high quality on offer in the world championship tournament. Gilbert burst into a 3-0 lead before O’Sullivan began to find his rhythm to secure the win.
O’Sullivan made three centuries en route to victory, before his amusing post-match interview. He dismissed any talk of drawing level with Stephen Hendry by winning a record-equalling seventh world title crown.
“You should know now I’m not really bothered about records and such like that,” O’Sullivan told the BBC. “Everyone talking about the seventh, Hendry’s record, but he was a hero of mine, I’d actually quite like him to keep one of them records.
“I’ve got enough records. I won’t start going on about them or Hossein Vafaei might get the hump. I’ll stay humble and say I’m here to enjoy my snooker, have some fun and enjoy the ride.”
His comment aimed at Vafaei comes after the Iranian declared that the six-time champion is bad for the sport and should retire. O’Sullivan originally dismissed the 27-year-old’s comments as ‘just words’ - but he clearly hasn’t forgotten about them.
O’Sullivan then took aim at the World Snooker Tour as he thanked the body for ‘making his life hell’. It was a somewhat ironic moment, as he insisted the busy schedule has allowed him to focus on and enjoy other interests away from snooker.
“I’ve been on great form for the last six or seven years,” O’Sullivan added. “I just want to thank World Snooker for making my life hell, to actually find myself a life where I can just put up with whatever goes on.
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“I’ve got myself in a great position now because I had to, whether I win or lose. If I lost today I’d have been disappointed because I’m actually enjoying playing out there, but I could have took a defeat and got over it. Been in the punditry box and been okay with it.
“I’m in a great place, life’s great. I think I can go on playing a lot longer than I thought I could. I don’t think I’m playing as well as when I was winning most of the stuff I played in, but I don’t have to be.
“If I can be around, be a hindrance, a lot of these guys who are past their best, still a pain to deal with sometimes.”
The Englishman will return to action on Friday against either Mark Allen or Scott Donaldson in the second round.
