Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan has a lucrative retirement plan which involves becoming the world champion of an entirely different sport. The Rocket has won a record-equalling seven World Snooker Championship titles and he is not yet ready to walk away from the discipline in which he has made his name.
But when O’Sullivan does decide the time is right to make a change, he has his eye on the world of Chinese eight-ball pool. The sport’s popularity is booming in China, where O’Sullivan is a well-known figure, and some of the prize pots gazump even snooker’s most coveted tournament.
Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship in May, with the victory earning him £500,000 in prize money. But in that same month, Niu Zhuang won £518,000 by clinching the World Heyball Masters.
“Chinese eight-ball is very, very popular now in China,” O’Sullivan said at the opening of a new snooker club in Hong Kong. “Many players play in big tournaments in China, and for someone like me, when I finish playing snooker, then I will play Chinese eight-ball.
“It’s a big sport in Asia, especially China, so when I retire from snooker, I want to become world champion in Chinese eight-ball.”
O’Sullivan may have one eye on life after snooker but he is still striving for new accomplishments in his primary sport. The 49-year-old says he wants to play for at least two more years, which would give him the chance to stand alone at the top of the all-time world titles list as he continues his search for an eighth crown.
The Rocket, who reached the semi-finals at the Crucible this year, is still ranked fifth in the world and heads into Monday’s Shanghai Masters – his first tournament since the worlds – as one of the big hitters.
“My whole life I’ve been preparing to be the best I can be, so obviously you have to practice and keep sharp,” said O’Sullivan, who has won the Shanghai Masters on five prior occasions. “I’m ready all the time.
“I work very hard to become the king of snooker, but there’s many, many, very, very good players. Zhao Xintong, world champion, fantastic player. I like to still be able to compete with these young guys who are very, very good. I feel blessed.”
