STEVE DAVIS BELIEVES world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan’s latest retirement suggestion, together with the admission he returned to snooker just for the money, could be considered disrespectful by the sport’s fans.
O’Sullivan, who has reached the semi-finals of this year’s event, where he is playing Judd Trump, said yesterday this may be his last appearance at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
“This is my last farewell, it’s my swansong. I’m happy; I’m done,” said 37-year-old O’Sullivan. “I didn’t know what was going to happen here but I’ve made a little bit of money now so I can go and pay the school fees now for the next two years. But really I don’t think snooker is for me.”
However, O’Sullivan’s volatile career has seen him repeatedly suggest he was on the brink of retirement only for the ‘Rocket’ – the outstanding talent and fans’ favourite of his generation — to return to the green baize. Despite taking time out after winning last year’s World Championship, O’Sullivan has returned in a bid to win a fifth world title.
And six-times champion Davis was not especially impressed by O’Sullivan’s latest announcement, telling the BBC today: “We know full well that Ronnie O’Sullivan’s interviews are a bit like the British weather: they’re changeable.
“But there’s a dilemma for the snooker fan. They love what comes off the end of his cue; they sometimes hate what comes out of his mouth because it is sometimes disrespectful to snooker. The question to ask for every snooker fan is: ‘Is it better for Judd Trump to win this match rather than Ronnie O’Sullivan even though Ronnie is such a breath of fresh air when he plays great?’
“It’s a tough question to ask. If he’s saying he’s not going to play on the table and that’s true, what use is he to the future of snooker?”
Davis, questioned on whether he himself thought his fellow-Englishman was in fact being disrespectful, replied: “You could argue that but on the other hand it could be the mercurial talents of a genius.”
