Ronnie O’Sullivan shared the chat he had with Mark Williams after their epic match at the Tour Championship.
The sporting legend produced one of his finest performances to defeat Mark Williams 10-9 in the quarter-finals. He produced breaks of 56, 84, 131, 128, 89, 100, 75, 106 and 127 to prevail in an epic encounter. The duo have contested many matches against one another over their long careers in the sport, and their latest is arguably their finest.
At the conclusion of their thriller, The Rocket opened up on a conversion he had with his great rival. "I just said you never missed a long ball all day, it was just ridiculous, it was mental," O’Sullivan told ITV. "Neil Robertson can pot long balls but he’d have to go some to pot as many as he did today.
“It’s probably the best he’s ever played against me and probably one of the best I’ve ever played against him. It was a tough game." O'Sullivan further assessed his performance and commented on his semi-final opponent in Neil Robertson.
"My scoring was alright, I didn’t think I was going to get a chance in the last, pleased to get a chance and make it a bit close," he continued. "I couldn’t pot a long ball all match and when you can’t pot a long ball it’s hard to get in against people who are so good, like Mark, they don’t give you easy chances.
"Every chance I did get I scored, that was the only way I was going to win really. Try and keep it tight and tidy, if I get 10 chances, try and win it in one visit. I just couldn’t pot long balls and it’s hard. I couldn’t pot one and he never missed one all day. Some ridiculous ones as well."
"Everyone’s beatable. No one’s invincible, O’Sullivan added. "It’s just a game of snooker at the end of the day, sticks and balls. Whoever plays better on the day will win." At the age of 46, O’Sullivan will reclaim top spot in the snooker rankings at the conclusion of the Tour Championship, 20 years after he became world number one for the very first time. The snooker genius surprised himself with his latest achievement, and made a bold statement regarding his ranking in the future.
“It is a bit like when I won the world title (in 2013) after taking a year out, O'Sullivan said. "I was a bit shocked I was able to do that and I was a bit surprised I was able to get to No 1 at this stage of my career. I want to be the first old age pensioner to be in the top eight, that would be some feat.
"The day that I play snooker for money is the day that I won't play so while everything is good off the table, I can just come here, enjoy it and have fun. Win, great, lose, not such a big deal. I just like to spend time, as much time, as I can away from home at a tournament with my mates and have a laugh. It is like a holiday for me. It's a great life."
