Seven-time snooker world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed who he wants to win the 2026 World Snooker Championship, just days after his dramatic defeat to John Higgins.
O’Sullivan will have to wait for his chance to secure an eighth world title after his entertaining 13–12 loss to four-time champion Higgins, with the Scot — who won the title in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 — recovering from 8–3 and 9–4 down to reach the quarter-finals on Monday.
The Englishman was quick to credit his opponent, even "standing to concede" as a show of respect towards the end of the match.
After beating Neil Robertson 13–10 in the quarter-finals, Higgins progressed to a semi-final against Shaun Murphy, while Wu Yize and Mark Allen made up the other last-four clash.
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Despite speaking positively about Higgins after the match, it is another player O’Sullivan wants to see win the event.
The 50-year-old revealed that he has been helping 22-year-old Yize, claiming the Chinese player has "potential".
"I’d help any player," O’Sullivan explained. "I help players I like. If I think they’ve got potential and I think I could guide them in the right way — a bit like what Ray [Reardon] did for me.
"With Wu Yize, I said: ‘I think you need to improve in this area.’ I’m convinced of that. If you don’t, I’m convinced you’re just going to keep getting what you’ve got.
"Do you want to be a champion?" And he [Wu] was like: "Yeah, yeah." You might not want to do this, but if you want to be a champion, you’re going to have to do this no matter how good you are, because he’s a phenomenal talent.
"It’s been nice to see him take that on board. Whether it’s helped him or not, I don’t know, but when he wins and performs well, it makes me happy.
"If I felt like I could add that to a player, I would. Zhao Xintong is a great talent. I didn’t spend a lot of time with him, but I think in the time I did spend with him, I showed him what I thought he needed to work on.
"Whether he’s done it or not, whether it’s made him better, I don’t know — but you can only show people."
World Snooker chief speaks out after O'Sullivan retirement threat
Meanwhile, the seven-time world champion has been vocal about his future in the sport, stating that he won’t play in tournaments if he believes the pay is not right, following the cancellation of the Saudi Arabia Masters just two years after its inception.
"Any tournament I go to, they all know they have to get the cheque book out, so wherever I go, that’s standard," O’Sullivan said at the Crucible.
He then suggested: "If that stops, then I stop."
And despite O’Sullivan seemingly issuing a warning to tournament organisers, President of Matchroom Sport — the company that controls the World Snooker Tour (WST) — Barry Hearn believes "The Rocket" could play for another decade.
"Ronnie is a legend," Hearn said.
"How important was Tiger Woods in golf? Very few players ever brought about the commercial advantages that Tiger did. But their time comes.
"And I’m just hoping that Ronnie is this enigma who will be playing when he’s 60 — occasionally, when he feels like it — and good luck to him.
"Let him play when he wants, and on the day he wants to play, the doors will always be open.
"Do I mind if he picks and chooses? No, I want him to do that because I want him to be happy.
"If he’s not happy, he’s not the same person, he’s not the same player. He’s quite happy, I think — I hope.
"But the game has to be strong enough to survive big names, as any sport has over the years, and we will adjust and create other big names.
"Will they get to the stature of Ronnie O’Sullivan? I personally doubt it, but who knows?
"I don’t know what the future holds. If I knew what the future was, I’d be backing every horse in yesterday’s race."
Topics: Ronnie OSullivan, Snooker, World Snooker Championship
Luke Davies