Ronnie O’Sullivan gave himself a hilarious new nickname after breezing through his first match at the World Snooker Championship. He is currently one of two players to have achieved Crucible glory on seven occasions, with the other being Stephen Hendry. If the 51-year-old secures another title over the coming weeks, he will become the most decorated champion in snooker history.
O’Sullivan got his campaign off to a flying start with a one-sided 10-2 victory over Chinese rival He Guoqiang in the opening round. He rattled off three century breaks and finished with a flourish, scoring exactly 100 in the final frame. However, he wasn’t entirely happy with his performance and made his feelings clear in unusual fashion during his BBC interview.
Rarely one to see the positive side of things at the snooker table, O’Sullivan said: “It’s still Rusty Ron, it will always be Rusty Ron.”
It won’t get any easier for O’Sullivan, who will face John Higgins in a blockbuster second-round clash later this week. He was quick to pile the pressure on his fellow veteran ahead of the match, insisting the Scot will be the favourite to progress.
The Rocket also pointed out how he feels like an old man at the Crucible this year, with many of the other players in their early twenties.
He added: “A couple of oldies, you know? Just going in the practice rounds and hanging around the venue, I feel old now because everyone’s 22, 23. It’s like walking into a creche. I’m still hanging around, still having a go.
“I’m not the player I was and probably never will be again, but as long as I can still enjoy the game. I’ve got a new method. I was a bit lost for three years, really. I feel like I’m getting through but still not good enough to win these events.
“I’ve got to rely on a bit of luck whereas years ago I kind of felt that if my game was okay, it would take someone really good at their best to beat me, but probably not so much now.
“I have to play really good and they can play alright and still beat me, so there are different dynamics. John loves playing me, he really enjoys it. I think he plays better against me than I do against him.
“I’ll probably be a bit of an underdog because I’ve hardly played for the last three years compared to John. He’s at every tournament and beating a lot of good players.
“Rusty Ron kind of comes here and rolls the dice and sometimes throws sixes but most of the time they’re ones. Let’s hope I can throw a couple of fives and sixes against John.
“He’s probably the favourite but it’s a different type of pressure, the pressure is more off me and more on John in this match, but hopefully I can give him a decent game.”