World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan says Sheffield’s Zhao Xintong could be ‘greatest of all time’

O’Sullivan, who begins his bid for a seventh world title at The Crucible tomorrow afternoon, has been helping 2021 UK Championship winner Xintong, aged 25, during practise sessions.

“He could be the greatest of all time with his talent, with his ability,” the Rocket said.

"I always say he’s Roger Federer with a snooker cue in his hand but he’s got to develop. He’s got to learn – and he will learn. He’s like me, he’s a quick learner.

"He’s showing that he’s on it. Give him 18 months, give him two years, and hopefully I can help support him in that way.

"There’s not like I can show him anything. It’s just like ‘have you thought about doing it this way?’”

Xintong hails from China but has lived in Sheffield for seven years.

He practises at Victoria’s Snooker Academy on Scotland Street, close to the city centre, and is one of five Sheffield-based players to qualify for this year’s tournament.

Other local players to look out for include Ding Junhui, Yan Bingtao, Lyu Haotian and Ashley Hugill.

Nicknamed ‘The Cyclone’, Xintong is currently ranked seventh in the world after winning his first ranking title last year.

He will get the 46th consecutive World Championship at The Crucible under way on Saturday morning when he faces qualifier Jamie Clarke, with reigning champion Mark Selby playing Jamie Jones on the adjacent table.

O’Sullivan added: “I call him Justin Bieber but he's James Bond now. He’s a cool dude.

"He’s just wonderful.”

Xingtong, who is based in the city centre, told The Star: "I like this city because it has amazing food here and there’s a lot of Chinese people. Sheffield is like my home.

“The Crucible World Championship is the important one and the last competition in the season.

"It’s very important for snooker players. Now, we don’t have a Chinese player win this title (sic) so that’s my big dream."

Who will win the 2022 World Snooker Championship?

Australian and 2010 champion Neil Robertson is the favourite for this year’s crown.

But despite his red-hot form this season, he played down his chances.

Robertson said: “The year I won it I came here in pretty average form, didn’t expect too much, and ended up winning it.

“There’s no special ingredient to coming here and performing well.

"You look at the 16 players that have come through qualifying and it’s a really scary field.”

Junhiu, a finalist in 2016, is among those who had to qualify this year.

David Gilbert, who made the semi-final in 2019 and won his first ranking title last year, also came through qualifying and meets O’Sullivan in round one.

O’Sullivan said: “Anyone can win this tournament this year, there’s so many good players.

"The first round is going to be like the first corner in F1, it’s going to be carnage. There’s going to be so many seeds falling.”

Steve Dawson, chief executive of World Snooker, the sport’s governing body, added: “This is shaping up to be the closest and best-ever World Championship, a thoroughly mouth-watering prospect for snooker fans.”

Defending champion and four-time winner Mark Selby says he just wants to enjoy himself on the table after revealing he has been battling depression.

The 38-year-old admitted snooker has taken a back seat recently and said: “Mentally I feel in a better place that I was a few weeks ago, which is good.

"I’m not pilling on too much expectation. I’m just going to try and go out there and enjoy it.

"I have been suffering for quite a few years and basically bottled everything up. It came to a point where it just snowballed.”

O’Sullivan, 46, needs one more world title to equal Stephen Hendry’s record.

He was in a relaxed mood ahead of start of the annual competition, which will be played at full capacity throughout for the first time since 2019, declaring: “Snooker is the least important thing in my life but it’s something that I like to do.

"I don’t get tied in to all these records and stuff that everybody likes to talk about, I just like to enjoy myself.

"Life first, snooker after.”