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Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan soaked up the adulation after becoming the oldest winner of the UK Snooker Championship in York but claimed: \u201cI get more of a buzz from going for a run in the morning and having breakfast with my mate.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Sullivan, who celebrates his 48th birthday on Tuesday, reeled off the last three frames to beat Ding Junhui and win the title for a record-extending eighth time, 30 years after he won it for the first time at the age of 17.<\/p>\n
Predictably raucous scenes greeted O\u2019Sullivan\u2019s match-winning, exhibition-style finish of 129 at the Barbican, but the world No 1 cut a distinctly underwhelmed figure when grilled about his latest history-making achievement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sitting here with a massive grin and super-excited,\u201d said O\u2019Sullivan. \u201cI just go through the motions a lot of the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to win and I give my best when I\u2019m out there and I want to win, but it\u2019s not the same excitement as years ago when I was winning my first world and UK and Masters titles, and you\u2019re buzzing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s still a nice feeling and a job well done, but I get more of a buzz from going for a run in the morning or having breakfast with my mate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t actually feel like ever playing. Once you get down there you think you\u2019re glad you\u2019ve done it, but even in this match today I was thinking I didn\u2019t feel like it, I\u2019d rather sit on my bed and watch a bit of Netflix. I feel like that a lot of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Sullivan prefers breakfast to winning trophies <\/p>\n
Hauled back from 4-1 and 7-5 leads by Ding, who like O\u2019Sullivan won his first UK title as a teenager in 2005, the world number one dug deep when it mattered and consecutive breaks of 100 and 74 set him up for his final flourish.<\/p>\n
It was an admirable effort from the Chinese player, who had clambered off his sick bed to sink defending champion Mark Allen on the opening day having seriously considered withdrawing from the tournament.<\/p>\n
But ultimately O\u2019Sullivan, who had seldom been required to find his best form during his journey through the tournament, had just enough to leave Ding contemplating a second consecutive final defeat.<\/p>\n
Ding had clawed back to level at 4-4 at the end of an absorbing opening session, after a series of costly errors gifted O\u2019Sullivan the early advantage.<\/p>\n
Three times the 36-year-old blew early frame-winning opportunities to fall 3-0 then 4-1 behind before belatedly stirring to reel off three frames in a row including breaks of 114 and 70.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Sullivan wasted no time in re-establishing his lead in the first frame of the evening with a break of 84, but there was a hint of impatience in the next when he opted not to play on despite trailing by 51 and only requiring one snooker.<\/p>\n
Ding appeared intent on pressing home his advantage but was punished for taking on some risky long shots in the next two frames, O\u2019Sullivan edging ahead again with breaks of 40 and 87, then emerging from a scrappy spell in the next to reach the interval 7-5 in front.<\/p>\n
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A hard-earned 58 from Ding brought him back within one frame before a magnificent 104, his second century of the final, pulled him level again.<\/p>\n
Anything Ding could do, O\u2019Sullivan could do too, and the momentum swung back in the direction of the world champion in the next frame when he responded with a century of his own, a 100, his first of the final.<\/p>\n
A brilliant pink from O\u2019Sullivan set him up to move one frame from victory with a break of 74, and he completed his win in his own irresistible fashion with his second three-figure finish.<\/p>\n
Ding, who was also beaten in last year\u2019s final by Allen, reflected: \u201cThe first half was disappointing because I had a chance to win more frames but 4-4 wasn\u2019t too bad because I was 4-1 down. I came back to 7-7 but he played so well.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I could do was play good safety and make breaks. He just pushed me to make mistakes and it\u2019s all I can do \u2013 I can\u2019t do anything else out there.\u201d<\/p>\n