'Winners win, losers lose. End of story' - Ronnie O'Sullivan questions mindset of players
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Updated 04/03/2022 at 13:42 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan has raised the bar in snooker in terms of winning and talent. His still going strong, and offered words of advice for players who are struggling to get over the finishing line. He cited Stephen Hendry as a person players should seek out for tips on what it takes to be a winner at the top level.
'There's no excuses' - O'Sullivan not buying break talk and questions mindsets
Ronnie O’Sullivan has called into question the mindset of certain players, saying too many are seeking to be good aesthetically as opposed to adopting the mentality of a winner.
O’Sullivan is the most successful player in the history of the game, and arguably the greatest to pick up a cue, so is qualified to offer an opinion on the subject of winning tournaments.
Ali Carter is in the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open, and told Eurosport that his form dipped after a break earlier in the campaign.
O’Sullivan questioned the notion of the break in the calendar, and suggested it was a case of players looking for excuses for not winning.
“Strange as there is no breaks in the calendar,” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio in Newport.
Neal Foulds stepped in to say: “There was a break of six to eight weeks.”
To which O’Sullivan replied: "That is not a break to me, that is a bit of time out that you need.
“I don’t get this break, I am really baffled by it.
“They are looking for excuses, I think, on why they are not getting performances.
“I am being very harsh, but it is the same for everyone. There’s lots of tournaments, lots of matches, and no-one should not be not fresh.
“If you take six weeks out you may be rusty for a couple of tournaments.
“I took a year out and won the World Championship, played one match. But there you go.
“It can be done.”
O’Sullivan feels some players would be better served working on the mental side of the game, and cited former world champions Peter Ebdon and Graeme Dott as examples of individuals who punched above their weight in terms of natural ability.
“I don’t like making excuses for people,” O’Sullivan said. "It is about getting down, winning tournaments.
“Winners win, losers lose. End of story.
“If you want to be a winner, not just pot balls, it is a mindset if you want to be a champion.
“You have got to win.
"Peter Ebdon was not blessed with the greatest talent, Graeme Dott again, but they have got the wins.
“Talent and mindset are totally different things. I think a lot of these players are looking to improve as players, but it is a mindset thing.”
One record O’Sullivan does not have is the most world titles, and he advised players to seek out the Crucible’s greatest champion.
“Go and have a chat with Stephen Hendry is what I would say,” O’Sullivan concluded.
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