Ronnie O'Sullivan has slammed the standard of new players coming into snooker, believing he would have to "lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50".
O'Sullivan, who has been on form on and off the baize at the Crucible, made the comments after beating friend Ding Junhui 13-10 in a high-quality contest to reach the World Championship quarter-finals.
44-year-old O'Sullivan will now face 45-year-old Mark Williams, after seeing off 33-year-old Junhui.
This will be the 46th meeting between the pair since first clashing at the Welsh Open in 1994. Both, along with John Higgins, turned pro in 1992 and 28 years on continue to compete at the highest echelon of the sport.
But O'Sullivan says fans shouldn't be surprised that they remain at the top of the game when you take close look at the standard lower down the rankings.
"When you look at the standard of play and the younger players, they aren't that good," said O'Sullivan.
"They'd maybe do as half-decent amateurs, well actually not even amateurs. They are so bad.
"You see them play and I think to myself 'I'd have to lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50'."
"That's why people like me, John (Higgins) and Mark (Williams) are still hovering around because how poor that end of the game is."
Class of '92
The long list of achievements by snooker’s famed ‘class of 92’ in the World Championship, UK Championship and Masters.
Ronnie O’Sullivan (19 Triple Crown trophies)
The Rocket burst onto the professional scene 28 years ago and became the youngest ever winner of a ranking event when he beat Stephen Hendry in the 1993 UK Championship final aged just 17. It was the start of a fascinating rivalry between the pair and, although controversial at times, O’Sullivan’s speed and prolific scoring marked him out as special early on. He is a five-time world champion and has triumphed at both the UK Championship and Masters on seven separate occasions to become an all-time great.
John Higgins (9 Triple Crown trophies)
Despite several ups and downs, the Scot is one of the sport’s most successful players with four World Championship victories, three UK Championship titles and two Masters wins. He was crowned world champion for the first time in 1998 and enjoyed arguably his best spell between 2006 and 2011 where he was number one in the rankings during three different periods. Since victory at the Crucible nine years ago, the Wizard of Wishaw has been runner-up in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Mark Williams (7 Triple Crown trophies)
Williams may not have clinched as much silverware as fellow class of 92 graduates O’Sullivan and Higgins, but he has an honour his two rivals have yet to secure – one of only three players to have won all three Triple Crown events in one season. The 2002-03 campaign saw everything click for the Welshman and yet it was the pinnacle of his career, not the start of a dynasty. He would return to snooker’s top table again 15 years later with success against Higgins at the Crucible to claim his third world title.
