Ronnie O’Sullivan has claimed he is not interested in criticism from fellow player Shaun Murphy at the UK Championship.
Murphy, who won the World Championship in 2005, took aim at Ronnie O’Sullivan after his comments on some players not being on his level in the game, and also claimed he grew up in incredible wealth,
"He comes from an incredibly wealthy background and grew up in an incredible wealth. Most of the tour is not from that world. For him and people like him with cabinet after cabinet full of trophies, it’s okay to say how meaningless the game is to them.
But for the rest of us it means an awful lot because it not only feeds our life and looks after us today.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been in top form this year, and is never one to shy away from showing off his confidence, often leading to criticism from other players in the sport.
O’Sullivan seems to have taken issue with the attitude of some of the younger players in the sport, following his resounding 6-0 win over Zhou Yuelong in the last 16 of the tournament last night.
Speaking on BBC, Ronnie O’Sullivan claimed that his rivals today aren’t at the level as hime when it comes to the winning mentality that has made him so successful.
“I am not interested in what anybody has got to say about me, I absolutely vacated a long time ago.
Some guys are just happy to be here and have a laugh and a joke, some guys just have that pure intense desire, they just love the challenge and the competition, Some people thrive on it, some people don't like it. Some people like it for a while but then they just can't handle it for that long because it is not easy.
Dealing with pressure is not an easy thing. I have just grown to enjoy it.”
The Rocket claims the quality of those challenging him in snooker is not what it was, claiming there isn’t the same level of quality.
“There’s definitely not a Stephen Hendry or a John Higgins in my book. People do it in spells, but to maintain it is the hard thing.
We all knew about Stephen Hendry when he was 15, he was different, Steve Davis was different. Tiger Woods, you just look in their eyes, they have a different intensity. Some people like it for a while but then can’t handle it for that long because it’s not easy.
Dealing with pressure is not an easy thing. I’ve grown to enjoy it, if that makes sense.”
Mark Allen has backed Ronnie O’Sullivan for his comments, leaving a cheeky retweet on Shaun Murphy's tweet earlier today following his comments.
Must be that chip on your shoulder doing the damage https://t.co/mSaNmTqpM1
— Mark Allen (@pistol147) November 17, 2022
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