“That’s why I keep going,” said Ronnie O’Sullivan, who turns 48 on Tuesday. “If you could guarantee that Mark Selby (22 titles), Judd Trump (26 titles), Ding Junhui (14 titles) or Neil Robertson (23 titles) would win by a slightly smaller margin, that would be great.”
“I want to ruin their career a little bit, so they don’t have mine. I still get motivation from that.”
O’Sullivan will face China’s Ding Junhui, a three-time UK champion, in his ninth UK final – having lost just one match.
And he still has something left in the tank. “I haven’t played my best snooker this week, but being able to win games when you’re not playing well is also an important aspect of the game. It’s easy to forget that.”
“Yesterday it was okay, although the dynamics were not there yet, but that’s not always necessary. It was much more solid than the last few days. Thank God. I don’t mind losing, but playing so poorly is a shame.” “
“I’ll go to the final without any pressure. After that I need some rest – prevention is better than cure – so I might be ready for the Scottish Open. I’ll be playing the exhibition tournament in Macau at the end of this year. I’m looking forward to it.”
O’Sullivan has often been in conflict with the World Snooker Federation, which supports the tradition. “The organizers in China and Thailand are keen to pamper the players.”
“I don’t care how reputable and famous a tournament is, the conditions have to be good and Asia is currently doing better in this regard. As long as I perform well in the major tournaments, I can also afford to skip other tournaments.”
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