'He can get angry' - Ronnie O'Sullivan on 'emotional' Ding Junhui after table head slam at World Championship
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Updated 21/04/2022 at 14:46 GMT
Ding Junhui is not the meek and mild snooker star that many believe him to be, according to Ronnie O'Sullivan. The Rocket, who was speaking in the Eurosport studio during Ding's first-round match against Kyren Wilson at the Crucible, explained how the Chinese player actually has a very different personality to what some think when you get to know the man away from the table.
'He is not a silly guy' - O'Sullivan shares insight on 'emotional' Ding
Ronnie O'Sullivan has shared some insight into the personality of Ding Junhui after the snooker star slammed his head against the table after a frustrating miss.
Ding was taking on Kyren Wilson in their first-round clash at the Crucible on Wednesday evening when he reacted theatrically to a routine miss on a red with 46 on the board.
Dave Hendon, on commentary for Eurosport at the time, winced when Ding crashed his head against the table.
"The slate will win, I can tell you if you do that!" Hendon said. "You could see how annoyed he was - bosh!"
O'Sullivan, who is good friends with Ding, gave some background on character of his fellow professional and spoke about the fact that he is more emotional than many people realise.
"He is quite an emotional guy, Ding," O'Sullivan told Eurosport in the studio in Sheffield.
"Sometimes he can get a bit angry. He is not the quiet, meek guy that you think of him. If he feels a bit hard done by about something he will say what he has got to say, you know.
"There is a different animal behind there. When you get to know Ding, he is quite a serious character as well.
"He is quite a businessman, you know. He is not a silly guy."
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Watch as Ding hits head against table in frustration after miss
O'Sullivan himself is back in action at the Crucible on Friday when he takes on Mark Allen in what could be a tricky second-round encounter for the six-time world champion.
The Rocket came into the tournament having moved back to world No. 1 following an impressive season so far and has a seventh world crown in his sights, which would draw him level with fellow great Stephen Hendry.
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He has found himself embroiled in a bizarre controversy with Hossein Vafaei, who called on him to retire with some strong words but has since laughed off any issues with the legend of the sport.
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'Snooker is too boring' - Vafaei 'still friends' with Ronnie despite comments
"It's funny, snooker is too boring, it helps to make it more interesting for people!" Vafaei told Eurosport.
"I've been talking to Ronnie and he also said it's not our responsibility to make the game bigger. I wonder why this sport is not getting big, why are we not getting paid like tennis players and other top sports people.
"I hope snooker changes and becomes bigger and the prize money improves as well.
"We had a chat and he said we just have to focus on our job, and he was right and I totally respect him. Absolutely we are still friends, we always talk and laugh together!"
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