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Topics: Snooker, Ronnie OSullivan, World Snooker Championship
Ryan Smart
Topics: Snooker, Ronnie OSullivan, World Snooker Championship
Ronnie O'Sullivan says he is not the greatest snooker player of all time - and has named two players that he believes are better than him.
'The Rocket' opens up his World Snooker Championship campaign on Wednesday afternoon, when he takes on qualifier Jackson Page.
O'Sullivan is currently tied for the most world titles won by a single player, with seven, and will stand alone at the top with another Crucible triumph.
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In addition, success in Sheffield would make him only the fourth player in snooker history, after Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Mark Williams, to win all three Triple Crown events (World Championship, UK Championship and Masters) in a single season.
His route to the final could be a tricky one, with world number two Judd Trump potentially awaiting him if he gets as far as the semi-final.
But that route starts today - and the focus has naturally been on whether 'The Rocket' can create snooker history by the time the World Championship is over.
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Speaking on the eve of his first game, though, O'Sullivan has stated his belief that he is not the best snooker player in the sport's history - and is behind two other legendary stars.
He told BBC Sport: "I don't regard myself as the greatest. I'm one of them, maybe.
"You've got Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, and my hat's in the ring with them.
"I've had a different career to them. They did it over a ten-year period, whereas I've sort of gone off track, got myself together, back off track, then got myself back together. I've had to go on longer to get what I've got.
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"I was a bit all over the show at times with stuff going on off the table, and that can affect how you perform on it.
"Hendry and Davis pretty much had everything fitted around them to be focused on snooker and I didn't have that."