Latest news with #RonnieSullivan
Metro
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Snooker prospect Ronnie Sullivan on obvious comparison: 'It does my head in'
Ronnie Sullivan is an eye-catching name in the draw for Q School this week, although the young prospect is already bored of questions about his near-namesake. The 20-year-old from Coulsdon is making his way in the game, committing full-time to snooker in recent months as he chases his dream. He heads to Q School in Leicester this week hoping to win a place on the professional circuit and begin to see the hours on the practice table pay off. With a name so similar to the sport's greatest ever player, obvious questions will arise, but Sullivan says his name and chosen sport is all just a coincidence. 'It is just a coincidence really,' he told Metro. 'They [his 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.' On whether the name inspired him to take up snooker, he said: 'I didn't really care about the name, to be honest. It's got to the point now where 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.' Despite their association, the Rocket is not Sullivan's snooker hero, with the youngster looking to Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson as his role models. 'Just because how much Hendry won really,' he explained. 'I think he retired five years before I even started playing, but I've spent hours watching him. He was the best. 'And Robertson, I think everything about him is just the best. Technique-wise, I think the way he plays the game, it's probably between him and Judd [Trump].' Sullivan is at the other end of the snooker food chain to O'Sullivan, quitting work doing house clearances to focus entirely on the game, which is not easy in financial terms. The 20-year-old is looking for a sponsor to help him on his journey in the game, which he believes will take him to the top. 'I've been playing since I was 11 or 12,' he explained. '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. '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. More Trending '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.' Sullivan has been putting in the work, not only on his own, but with coach Terry Burke and practicing with the likes of Joe Perry ahead of getting his Q School campaign underway on Wednesday. That campaign begins in Leicester at 9am, with eight two-year tour cards on the line over two events. MORE: World Women's Snooker Championship draw, schedule and how to watch MORE: Stephen Hendry names his top five snooker players of all-time MORE: Kyren Wilson to take leaf out of Ronnie O'Sullivan's book after Crucible disappointment
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
I was accidentally named after Ronnie O'Sullivan and even play snooker – but I prefer Stephen Hendry
RONNIE SULLIVAN will try to become a professional snooker player this month – and his dream is to face RONNIE O'SULLIVAN. Over the next week, the part-time cueist from South London will be at Leicester's Mattioli Arena, attempting to earn a two-year World Snooker Tour card. 3 Sullivan, 20, was not named after the seven-time world snooker champion and says his favourite players are Scotsman Stephen Hendry and Australian hero Neil Robertson. But should he qualify for the pro ranks – he has to win six matches in a row, all of which are the best of seven frames – then he would love to battle the Rocket, 49, on equal terms next season. And hopefully a clash would silence those on social media who reckon he is a CON ARTIST due to the surname similarities! Sullivan told SunSport: 'It's a complete coincidence. My dad only realised when I was born, a couple of days or weeks after he named me Ronnie, about the link. 'I've seen a picture of my mum in hospital with me, after I was born, and the snooker was on the TV in the background. 'I'm not sure what the tournament was. Ronnie could have been playing! 'My dad had two names to pick, Ronnie and Ozzy, which is my brother's name. Funnily enough I didn't start playing snooker until I was 12 years old. 'Ronnie is not my hero. I like Stephen Hendry, because of how much a winner he was, and Neil Robertson. 'I get a bit of attention for my name. I'd rather have attention for my playing abilities than that. It's swings and roundabouts. 'I've had a lot of people text me on Facebook over the years, saying: 'You're a scam, you're not Ronnie O'Sullivan, you're a fake account.' It never ends. 'It gets so boring. 'You have the same name as Ronnie but without the O.' Leave me alone. Let me get on with it. 'I hope I can play Ronnie before he retires. That would be unreal. It'd definitely put bums on seats. The referee would have to call us Ronnie 1 , Ronnie 2.' Sullivan – born in November 2004, the year that O'Sullivan won his second of seven Crucible crowns – has met the GOAT of potting before. But the pair spent more time talking about boxing than the intricacies of the sport they both play, albeit to different levels. He said: 'I've met Ronnie on a few occasions. We talked for a good half an hour or hour. Not about snooker once. 'We are similar in that we don't like to talk about the game. We like a break from it. 'We had a little bit of a laugh about our names but not a massive thing. We talked about boxing really.' 3 Sullivan studied sports and business at college and worked for JJ Antiques & House Clearance firm, clearing homes in Surrey and the South London area. But he is looking for a sponsorship deal for this year, which would help him fulfil his dream of potting balls. The amateur star, whose highest break is 145, faces fellow Englishman Jai Platts on Wednesday morning in round one of Event One of Q School. He said: 'I feel good. The last time I went there, I went for the experience. Since December, I've really got my s** together and practised full-time. Put the hours in. 'I had a few things off the table that weren't going okay. I had a little break but have had a fresh start. I feel like a new player. 'The hard work has paid off. I'm confident with my game. It would be great to be professional. 'That would be a massive monkey off my back. I've put so much work into it. I've had more downs than ups in the game. I know I'm good enough. 'I feel I can prove something to myself and go and do it. It would mean a lot. 'I have always wanted to play snooker. My dad said it would be a waste of talent if I didn't try to become professional. I hope I can play my best stuff at Q School.'
