‘I could play to my mid-50s,’ says Ronnie O’Sullivan after seventh world title

Ronnie O’Sullivan has warned his snooker rivals he may keep playing at the highest level until his mid-50s as the dust settles on another world championship victory. O’Sullivan equalled Stephen Hendry’s modern-era record of seven Crucible titles by defeating Judd Trump on Monday, further erasing any doubt to the debate that he is snooker’s greatest player.

But there is no sign of the 46-year-old slowing down. He has ended the season as the world No 1, and his seventh world crown was perhaps his most impressive yet, with O’Sullivan losing only one session all tournament as he became the oldest world champion in Crucible history, setting a personal record of 15 centuries for the tournament in the process.

O’Sullivan had previously said he envisaged playing for three more years at the top, but has now hinted he could carry on beyond that. “I could probably play to my mid-50s if I wanted to,” he said. “The tournaments like this will be a bit of a strain, there might not be much chance of winning them, but everything else, why not? I still enjoy being on the circuit, I’m having fun with it.”

Both Trump and Hendry backed O’Sullivan to go beyond seven world titles in the aftermath of his latest victory, even if O’Sullivan himself stressed he is not concerned with accolades or being regarded as the greatest player in history. But that position is now almost certainly secure after another landmark victory in Sheffield, as his allegiance with the renowned sporting psychiatrist Steve Peters continues to bear fruit.

By his own admission, O’Sullivan was ready to walk away from snooker a decade ago before uniting with Peters. Since then, he has broken nearly every record there is to break on the baize, including the most career