The world's greatest ever snooker player called the sport's younger generation worse than 'half-decent amateurs' and 'so bad' in an extraordinary, no holds barred interview
- Ronnie O'Sullivan, the world's most successful ever snooker player, called the the sport's younger generation "so bad" and worse than "half-decent amateurs."
- 44-year-old O'Sullivan, who has been a professional since 1992, made the comments after advancing to the World Championship quarterfinals on Sunday.
- "I would have to lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50," O'Sullivan told the BBC. "They are so bad."
- O'Sullivan also described playing at an empty Crucible Theatre as like "playing in a morgue."
Ronnie O'Sullivan, the world's most successful ever snooker player, called the sport's younger generation "so bad" and worse than "half-decent amateurs" in an extraordinary, no holds barred interview.
44-year-old O'Sullivan — who has won a record 19 titles in Triple Crown tournaments and is widely regarded as the best snooker player in history — made the comments after beating Ding Junhui, 33, at the Crucible Theatre on Sunday to reach the World Championship quarterfinals.
O'Sullivan faces 45-year-old Mark Williams, who turned pro in 1992, the same year as O'Sullivan, in the last eight on August 10.
"People like me, John [Higgins] and Mark [Williams], if you look at the younger players coming through, they are not that good really," O'Sullivan told the BBC. "Most of them would do well as half-decent amateurs, not even amateurs. They are so bad.
"A lot of them you see now, you look at them and think: 'I would have to lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50'. That is why we are still hovering around, because of how poor it is down that end."
O'Sullivan, who is sixth in the snooker world rankings, was equally as brutal in his assessment of having to play in front of no fans.
The Crucible, which usually has nearly 1,000 fans inside, is currently locked down amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
"I am just glad I found a way to try and compete with my mind out there," he said. "For a while I have been going out and slapping balls about having fun, not caring if I won or lost. Deep down I do care but treat it like a bit of fun.
"I spoke to Steve Peters and worked on a few things so when I went out there my mind was clear. It is better with the fans, of course it is.
"It is like playing in a morgue out there."
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