Ronnie Sullivan arguably has the coolest name in snooker but mention his near-namesake and his eyes roll to the back of his head. The 20-year-old prospect from Coulsdon, Surrey, will attempt to win a two-year tour card at Q-School to play alongside Ronnie O’Sullivan and snooker’s other greats.
While he has met seven-time world champion O’Sullivan on a number of occasions, Sullivan actually idolises Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson. The youngster is already bored of comparisons with The Rocket and revealed that his parents had no idea about the similarities between their names until he started playing the sport.
“It is just a coincidence really,” Sullivan told the Metro. “[My parents] were deciding between two names and just picked one. I don’t even know if they realised it until I started playing snooker that I had the same name as Ronnie. I didn’t really care about the name, to be honest. It’s got to the point now when anyone mentions it, it just does my head in.
“I have met him a couple of times. I get on with him. He’s a nice fella. We have a mutual mate and I think he mentioned me to him a couple of times.”
Sullivan’s story is a familiar tale for those at the bottom of the sport, fighting for a place on the professional tour. He worked removing possessions from homes but has since gone full-time in snooker in the hope of landing a professional career. Sullivan still needs a sponsor and has opened up on the financial hardships at the bottom of the sport.
“I’ve been playing since I was 11 or 12. I took a year out last year while I was working, but I’ve been playing full-time since December again. Banging in the hours, eight hours a day, religiously,” he said.
“I haven’t got a sponsor, that’s the struggle with it, it’s quite hard financially. So my dad helps me out a lot, as much as he can.
“It’s expensive and I couldn’t go to the WSF Championship this year [in Morocco]. A lot of things I missed out on abroad because I just couldn’t really go. But I’m trying to go all the way. If I didn’t think I could do it, I wouldn’t be playing full-time.
“I’m only going to get anywhere with the game if I’m going to put the hours in. So it’s got to be done and I enjoy it, I really enjoy it. So at least I’m doing something that I love.”
If he does make the tour and faces O’Sullivan, Sullivan may need to get used to the comparisons.