Ronnie O’Sullivan begins the defence of his Masters crown hoping some recommendation to opponent Liang Wenbo doesn’t backfire on him on Sunday afternoon.
The Rocket goes for a file seventh title within the prestigious invitation event, staged at Alexandra Palace in north London.
And the 2 know every very nicely, having cast a detailed friendship following years as follow companions on the Grove facility in Romford.
Wenbo, 29, was difficult Ding Junhui for the China No1 tag some years in the past after which misplaced his method within the sport, badly underachieving given his unquestioned capacity.
However he began to punch his weight by reaching the ultimate of the UK Championship in 2015, after which lastly claimed a primary rating title success on the English Open this season.
And five-time world champion O’Sullivan, 41, hopes some assist contributed to Liang discovering his method out of the wilderness.
O’Sullivan stated: “I’ve identified him for years, he used to follow eight hours a day in Romford and I instructed him he was overdoing it.
“I instructed him to go and have a life, do solely two or three hours. He was doing all that point and nonetheless couldn’t pot a ball in tournaments.
“So I instructed him to go to Sheffield, see his Chinese language mates, see his household – and to not do what I did at his age. And he has executed it and by no means been happier.
“I’ve handed on a couple of psychological expertise and approach suggestions, and he’s one in every of my shut buddies. I like to assist individuals.
“And I’ve helped a number of the youthful Chinese language gamers primarily based right here. I like to assist individuals in my area, I understand how robust it may be.
“They’re good children, and have taken care of me right here, they’re real. The bit I’m giving them is the simple bit, the robust bit goes out and doing it.”
O’Sullivan additionally revealed that he’s serving to the younger Chinese language gamers passing by way of the Grove, that he nonetheless makes use of as an occasional base.
However worryingly he doesn’t see many if any teenage skills within the UK equally worthy of the identical type of mentoring.
O’Sullivan added: “There isn’t any one to cross it on to within the UK of the appropriate age. In the event you have a look at what we now have in England there may be Kyren Wilson, however he’s 25 I feel.
“I don’t see no 15- or 16-year-olds on the market, we used to learn about individuals on the market. That died actually when the tobacco ban got here in and golf equipment shut in a single day
“The entire grass-roots of snooker was gone, and the novice scene has nearly disappeared. I used to play in novice occasions each week, going around the nation.
“After they opened up the professional sport to anybody as they did, it killed the novice sport. You’re seeing the repercussions of unhealthy, fast knee-jerk choices.
“The one gamers for me to cross what I do know on to are in China. You spend a month on the market, they need to use me.
“They’re doing what we used to, there are academies with 20-30 tables with prime gamers getting the perfect follow. The federal government subsidise it, and type the households out.
“They spend money on their kids with expertise, on this nation we bale out banks who rip the nation off and convey it to its knees.”
