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Rocket Propelled To Top

Mon 17 Dec, 04:09 PM


Maplin UK champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is unsure when he will bow out from world snooker but believes there is still more to come.

O'Sullivan hinted there may not be too long left for him at the top but declared when he does make his exit, it will be with a bang.

The 32-year-old ended a 32-month ranking title drought with his 10-2 Telford triumph over Stephen Maguire on Sunday night, and admitted the prospect of retirement is never far from his mind.

"I haven't got long," he said. "I always said I wanted to go out on a high and that means winning a big tournament.

"There was a point there at 8-0 when I was thinking 'is this the time?'.

"But it's too early for me to retire just now."

'The Rocket' now considers himself a "seasoned campaigner," and has been able to take an introspective look at his role within the game and assess the impact he has had on the world stage.

"People want to watch me playing. Every time I've played this week it's been packed, and I've been blown away because it shows how much fans really want to see me play.

"It's a great honour for me to be able to bring joy to people because of the way I play my sport.

"Jimmy White was the same; Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods - they play with that kind of excitement and make you think 'what's going to happen.'

"I think the way I play snooker is unique because I attack the game, I play with speed. I'm a bit edgy, a bit different and have my own style."

O'Sullivan clocked up an astonishing nine post-50 breaks along the way to Sunday night's effortless win, but accepts there are still aspects of the game that he will always struggle to contend with.

"I sometimes wish I could play like Stephen Maguire, John Higgins or Stephen Hendry, because they're so methodical and mechanical, and so hard to break down," he admitted.

"With me, you never know what you're going to get. But I'm starting to close out games, and I feel confident before I go out.

"I haven't felt like that for about 14 years to be honest. I feel I can mix it with the best again."

Although yesterday's clash proved a one-sided contest, O'Sullivan was adamant Maguire will emerge as a formidable force.

"I think the only difference between us was experience," he said. "Given another couple of years Stephen will be more consistent. He'll take a lot from this match, and from his win over Higgins.

"He'll know what to expect, he'll have done his apprenticeship, and I think he's still doing his apprenticeship - that's the frightening thing.

"That's why I say I won't be playing too much longer because I don't want to be playing him all the time - it could send you to an early grave.

"Any one who plays snooker will say he's a class act," he added.

The Scot, who will meet O'Sullivan again in January's SAGA Insurance Masters tournament, admitted his opponent was a different class when it came down to the crunch.

"It's the best snooker he's played this week, definitely," he said.

"I fancied it, to be fair, I don't think he's been playing well this week, he just raised his game.

"I actually wanted him to play well because I wanted to test myself.

"It's woken me up because I really do need to improve to get to that standard - but at least I know."

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