Why Snooker's Golden Generation Are Still Shining At 50

When a 14-year-old Ronnie O'Sullivan was asked by a TV newsman successful 1990 what he admired astir his snooker leader Steve Davis, he replied "he invents shots … not galore players tin do that".

It was an early penetration into O'Sullivan's approach. His information is not conscionable to win, but to group caller standards successful his sport.

Now, 35 years on, he has eclipsed nan achievements of nan players he looked up to and during this week's UK Championship - a tourney wherever he holds nan grounds for some nan oldest and youngest victor - O'Sullivan will observe his 50th birthday.

At an elite level, for a athletics to person conscionable 1 subordinate that property would beryllium singular enough, but O'Sullivan's half-century will mean 3 of nan apical six players successful nan world rankings will person entered their sixth decade.

Mark Williams and John Higgins, who for illustration O'Sullivan became professionals successful 1992, besides turned 50 this year.

But specified ultra-longevity is not a fixed successful this sport. Stephen Hendry, who holds nan associated grounds pinch O'Sullivan of 7 world titles, won his past ranking arena astatine nan property of 36, while Davis' triumph astatine nan 1997 Masters, aged 39, came arsenic a awesome shock.

The Class of 92, though, stubbornly garbage to fade. Here BBC Sport examines why 3 50-year-old players are still astatine nan top.

For Davis, now 68, nan quality betwixt his procreation and this 1 is psychological.

"I was ever blaming my method for failing, alternatively than trying to re-educate my brain," he told BBC Sport. "It felt for illustration it was conscionable nan circle of life.

"Ronnie, John and Mark person proven that's not nan case. It's each successful nan mind… you person much longevity than you think."

O'Sullivan's mentality has been shaped by psychiatrist Professor Steve Peters, pinch whom he has worked since 2011. In his 2023 Amazon Prime documentary, The Edge of Everything, O'Sullivan asks him: "So what property tin I spell to, truthful I don't person to mobility myself?"

"If you support looking astatine your age, you spell backmost to these self-fulfilling prophecies," Peters says. "You're going to commencement saying 'Oh, I'm 46, I won't do arsenic well!' I don't want that. If you want to win, and you want to support producing nan goods, past hide age."

It is proposal O'Sullivan has stuck to, telling BBC Sport this period that he feels "alright" astir turning 50, adding: "I effort not to put excessively overmuch unit connected myself … I rather for illustration being astatine this shape of my life."

Snooker whitethorn not beryllium an diversion aliases explosive sport, but occurrence still depends connected beingness attributes that should favour younger players.

O'Sullivan keeps himself fresh by running, but it is harder to ward disconnected different aspects of ageing, specified arsenic deteriorating eyesight, which Williams knows only excessively well.

"It makes maine laugh. I request glasses for everything: reading, mediate region [potting], agelong region [potting], everything," Williams told BBC Sport successful September.

The Welshman has been considering having lens replacement room but has postponed it 3 times, astir precocious successful November, chiefly because he keeps winning.

Williams whitethorn beryllium benefitting from what psychologists telephone nan brain's neuroplasticity.

Zoe Wimshurst, who helps coach athletes make nan champion usage of their vision, explained that arsenic agelong arsenic an jock does not person an oculus condition, specified arsenic cataracts, nan encephalon has nan capacity to accommodate to reduced vision.

"Everyone, by nan clip you get to your mid-30s, possibly early 40s, you'll announcement that nan lens of nan oculus really stiffens," she said.

"[But] our brains will perpetually set to nan challenges we put them under, and this continues passim our lifespan, moreover into really aged age.

"But, moreover if it is not your eyesight, it whitethorn beryllium different parts of your assemblage that fto you down."

"Somewhere down nan statement successful a good musculus power crippled for illustration snooker, your assemblage betrays your brain," Davis said.

"Your limb doesn't do what's required. The first point I felt was that yes, I deed nan shot successful a consecutive line, but I didn't deed it astatine nan correct pace.

"The weight of nan transportation is nan point that will hap and there's nary existent measurement retired of that. That's going to happen."

O'Sullivan's activity pinch Peters has coincided pinch observant guidance of his assemblage and he has often stressed nan value of fare to his success.

"He doesn't drink, he eats due food," 1979 UK champion John Virgo said. "You wouldn't deliberation he was 50, I mean, he still looks 30!"

Williams has besides had a caller nutrition-based epiphany, revealing successful 2024 he had introduced a pre-match meal, which he says sustains his power done agelong evening sessions.

And while Higgins mislaid much than 3 chromatic successful 2021, thing he attributed to regular rotation classes, he now says that weight has gone "back on" but that he is installing a gym astatine location to alteration things and get "a small spot much motivation".

"The hardest portion arsenic you get older is nan practice. That emotion of nan crippled has sewage to beryllium successful you each nan measurement through," Virgo added.

Williams, Higgins and O'Sullivan are not immune to those challenges. Higgins, a four-time world champion, said successful September he finds it "difficult to get nan cue retired nan lawsuit to practice".

"But I conscionable think, that's conscionable life," Higgins added. "You get older. Your priorities change."

Higgins has considered taking a break from definite tournaments but is restricted by nan quality of nan ranking system, wherever introduction into large events tin dangle connected capacity successful nan smaller ones.

"It's a difficult juggling act," he said. "It tin do your intelligence wellness nary bully trying to spell to these events."

O'Sullivan, too, has reined backmost his schedule successful Europe since moving to Dubai. The UK Championship will beryllium nan first arena he has played successful this state this season.

But nary of nan trio look fresh to opportunity goodbye yet. Just for illustration successful tennis wherever nan large 3 rivals of nan past 2 decades – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – were each pushed by each different to greater successes, truthful excessively are O'Sullivan, Higgins and Williams.

"If 1 was doing it, it begs nan mobility why isn't nan different 1 doing it?" Virgo said. "I deliberation they've motivated 1 another."

After his past Triple Crown triumph astatine nan Masters successful 2024, O'Sullivan observed that younger players "need to get their acts together because I americium going blind, person sewage a dodgy limb and bad knees and they still can't hit me".

While China's Zhao Xintong won this year's World Championship, fewer players person emerged who person gone connected to predominate nan calendar. It is exemplified by nan results of this season, wherever 11 different men person won nan first 11 events.

But it is not that easy erstwhile you're chasing O'Sullivan who, according to Virgo, has much "natural ability" than immoderate existent sportsman and which he remembers witnessing successful nan past 16-year-old's first quality connected celebrated gameshow Big Break successful 1992.

"The measurement he falls into nan shot, you could spot it consecutive away," he said, watching nan teen scuttle information nan array and making a accelerated clearance that won his contestant a prize haul that included a caller fax machine.

O'Sullivan, astatine slightest successful public, maintains that winning tournaments is "not nan beryllium each and extremity all".

However, he has hinted successful nan past that agelong spells without occurrence thief prolong his motivation.

It is now almost 2 years since he won a ranking event, but nan young O'Sullivan's hero, Davis, says this day could alteration things.

"Who's to opportunity that turning 50 isn't nan catalyst that Ronnie needs to go, 'Yeah, I'm going to show everybody really bully I am'," said Davis.

"We each cognize really bully he is, but I deliberation Ronnie really does bask making people's jaws drop.

"If he won nan UK Championship, if he won nan World Championship, our jaws would drop… Yeah, that would beryllium a monumental point to do."