Snooker news: Ronnie O'Sullivan vows to play more in bid to chase Stephen Hendry world title record
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
ByEurosport
Published 21/04/2020 at 12:19 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan has vowed to play in "every event I can possibly play" as he bids to equal Stephen Hendry's World Championship record at the Crucible Theatre.
Ronnie O'Sullivan lifts his fifth world title in 2013.
Image credit: Eurosport
The five-times world champion holds most of the key records in the sport, and needs one more tournament victory to pass Hendry as the most prolific ranking event winner in history. They are both on 36 ranking events.
But the retired Scotsman continues to hold the record for most wins in Sheffield in the modern era having stockpiled his array of seven titles in the 1990s.
Six-times winner Ray Reardon remains the oldest winner of the World Championship in the modern era at the age of 45 in 1978. Aged 44, O'Sullivan knows he is fighting time as well the competition in his bid to etch his name in the record books.
"I do think for the next two years I might just focus and play in every event I can possibly play in," said O’Sullivan, who has compiled the most centuries in history with 1038 and counting.
Give it one last shot and see if I can get my game to a level where I’m confident of winning.
"Winning and getting to finals of tournaments it doesn’t really allow you to prepare properly for the next tournament.
"You could play a final in China on Sunday and be playing on Tuesday in Cardiff, it’s not ideal preparation.
"You’ve just got to get your head around it and say “I’ve got to the final of that one, I’m probably not going to do great in the next one. Maybe an early exit is not such a bad thing."
O'Sullivan last won the world title in 2013, and has not been back to the final since an 18-14 defeat to Mark Selby a year later.
O'Sullivan - who has the most Masters and UK titles of all time with seven in each event since turning professional in 1992 - believes his days of winning world titles are not over.
Despite failing to win a ranking event since the Tour Championship 13 months ago, he would relish the chance to return to the table at the Crucible whenever the postponed event is rearranged.
"Yeah, of course I’d love to win the World Championships, but sometimes my life is so chaotic off the table,’ said O’Sullivan in an Instagram chat with Hendry.
I’m not making excuses, I never make excuses but I must admit my off the table life has made it a little bit difficult to really focus on snooker. I take responsibility for that, but I have accepted it and I make do with the best of it.
"At one stage I’d have taken one world title, that’s honestly how I thought, so to win five I have to pinch myself a little bit. If I never win another world title I shouldn’t be too hard on myself.
"But don’t get me wrong, I’d love to win another world title."
He added: "Any type of World Championships would be better than no World Championships."
With the World Championships falling victim to coronavirus, Eurosport has , including a new vodcast, which airs every day at 2pm on Eurosport 1. Snooker fans will also be able to enjoy all nine episodes in full in audio form on a new podcast, The Break.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement