Ronnie O’Sullivan issued a damning take on his snooker rivals after making the quarter finals of the UK Championship by claiming “I don’t think anyone has it" on the big occasion.
The seven-time world champion has been in seamless form thus far in York, and cruised into the last eight with a 6-0 whitewash of China’s Zhou Yuelong. 'The Rocket' recorded the highest break of the final stages to date in the third frame with a clearance of 137, and rounded off matters with another century break to underline his status as the top seed.
By contrary, Zhou was woefully off form, scoring just 81 points in the entire match. And his day was summed up in the second frame when attempting a plant on the red, he totally missed his intended target as the cue ball cannoned back off the cushion and into the black.
Speaking afterwards to the BBC, O'Sullivan was asked if any other player can match him when it matters, and his response was telling:“I don’t think anyone has (it)," he said. "There’s definitely not a Stephen Hendry or a John Higgins in my book. Some people do it in spells, but to maintain it, it’s not easy.
O'Sullivan, who this year won a seventh world title when he beat Judd Trump in the final at The Crucible, added the prospect of big audiences and pressure didn't bother him: “I never had a problem with crowds and the bigger the occasion the more I liked it," he added.
"If you can’t handle it you’re going to struggle. I think it’s in your make-up, you’re born with the love of pressure and the love of big occasions. You can’t teach that, you’ve either got it or you haven’t."
O'Sullivan hasn't been afraid of causing a stir since he arrived in York, claiming he would snub the 15k prize for a maximum 147 break if he managed to notch one. He's also hit back at Shaun Murphy, after his rival accused him of being a bad ambassador for the game by regularly denouncing snooker.
But despite his previous remarks, O'Sullivan insisted he was having a good time as he aims to extend his tournament record to eight wins: “I think I’m bad but everybody else is bad probably; that’s a fair assessment," he said.
“I’m enjoying myself everywhere I go, I’m having a great time. I just don’t enjoy it when I’m not playing great but I just have to suck it up, it’s part and parcel of the game. If my bad is better than everyone else’s bad then I have to take that but I’m never far away from playing well. You never know.”
