Ronnie O’Sullivan interview

In a wide-ranging interview, the world’s greatest snooker player explained how he has his dad to thank for guiding him through his teenage years. He advised up-and-coming stars how to stretch themselves and he set out his plans for when he retires.

Wearing shorts and sandals and perched on the edge of a table in the dressing room backstage at Southampton Guildhall prior to his Premier League Snooker draw with Marco Fu, O’Sullivan said: “I was lucky because I had a father that was disciplined with me and was showing me the right and wrong way to do things. I think that’s something that young kids need, a bit of guidance in the early days.

“When they’re 16, they’re up and running then. You’re adult, as far as I’m concerned. When you’re 15 or 16 (and) you’ve been a snooker player all your life, you’re a mature adult. It’s a great education; it brings you on quickly.”

Remarkably, despite knocked in a century as a ten-year-old, the three-time world champion says that as a youngster he never believed he would make it.

“I never had that confidence,” he admitted. “It seemed like a dream to me. It seemed like too good to be true that I was going to be making a living playing snooker or winning titles. But it has happened.”

Munching on an apple, O’Sullivan said players must follow his example and test themselves against stronger opposition.

“That’s what I done,” he said. “I always looked for who was the best player out there. I wanted to play them and test myself against them. You need to do that to raise your own level.”

“Don’t worry about getting a few defeats. If you’re good enough you’ll be able to handle them and come through and close your game on them eventually.”

And the future?

“I’m going to set my own academy up, eventually. I just want players that want to be good; want to be world champion; want to make the grade as a snooker player.

“I’m going to make a place where they can come and play. It won’t be a place to come and have fun; it’ll be a place to come and learn your trade.

“I know what to do; I sometimes can’t do it myself on a snooker table but I know what the right things to do are. They’ll have the best support system. I won’t be playing by then but I can still help people. That’ll be a good way for me to stay in the game.”

Coming soon to cuestars.uk.com, the 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy tells us how to avoid temptations, the importance of learning the basics and the lessons he learned when stepping up from amateur events to the professional circuit.