Ronnie O’Sullivan isn’t known for his close friendships with other snooker players, but Jimmy White still has the Rocket’s unwavering affection.
The Rocket and the Whirlwind have been good pals for years and it seems that friendship is as strong as ever.
Asked by Eurosport which other player he would choose to be sat next to on a plane, O’Sullivan didn’t hesitate in saying: ‘Jimmy White.
‘Best company in the world, he’s funny, he’s lovely, he’s got a big heart, beautiful. He’s one of my best mates, I love him.’
The 62-year-old was O’Sullivan’s hero when he started playing snooker and they have become close through life on tour and working together in the Eurosport studio.
During his run to the 2022 World Championship title, the Rocket said of White in the studio: ‘I love this geezer and I’m sweating buckets out there, but I’d much rather be sitting here with this fella for 17 days. This geezer is the best, the best company.
‘Me and Jimmy have worked on Eurosport for years and we’ve always been good mates but we’ve become like blood brothers. He’s like my biggest brother and I love him.’
The feeling is certainly mutual, with White saying before their last professional meeting on the table in 2021: ‘We’ve been good friends. We’ve helped each other with our careers over the years.
‘We’re good pals, when we’re away from snooker the last thing we talk about is snooker. We enjoy each other’s company, he’s a great guy to be around.
‘What I love about Ronnie is he is genuine, he does speak his mind, sometimes he gets himself into trouble with that but that’s the way he is. He’s my mate and if he let me down it would hurt, that’s what real mates feel about each other.
‘We’ve had some great days out, at the tennis, racing, been out clubbing, these are many years ago, but we always always have a laugh.’
On the table O’Sullivan’s slow start to the season continued on Tuesday as he was beaten in the last 32 of the International Championship by Pang Junxu.
The 48-year-old is scheduled to be at the Champion of Champions next week in Bolton, where he is due to face Xiao Guodong in his opening match.
Then comes his defence of the UK Championship in York with the main stages beginning on 23 November at the Barbican.
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