Snooker prodigy Antoni Kowalski has taken an unusual swipe at Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The Rocket is the most talked about star in snooker and one of the sport's most controversial players. Whether it is flirting with retirement or provoking other rivals with his cutting words, O'Sullivan is rarely away from the headlines.
On this occasion, O'Sullivan, who shot into the spotlight as a young player himself when he won the 1993 UK Championship at 17 years old, appeared to be called out by the young Polish star. Having overcome the likes of James Cahill and Simon Blackwell at Q School Event Two, Kowalski has earned himself a two-year tour card.
The 20-year-old could now be drawn to face the seven-time world championship winner in any of the professional events he takes part in. If he does find himself up against one of snooker's greatest-ever players, there will likely be extra needle between the pair.
In an interview with the Metro, Kowalski was asked about his thoughts on O'Sullivan. He replied: “I don’t know how to say it, but he’s pretty arrogant.
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"No, he’s a good guy, genius on the table for sure, he’s one of the best players of all time. But he’s not one of my favourites, if I put it like that."
As well as his scathing assessment of O'Sullivan's demeanour, the youngster also had some harsh words towards the sport as a whole. But when it comes to sitting down and watching his fellow snooker colleagues at the table, he would rather be doing other things.
When asked about how he is coping with the pressures of playing at the elite level of snooker, he said: "It might sound weird but I hate watching snooker.
"Whenever I’m watching snooker and someone messes something up I have the feeling of “give me the cue I’ll show you how to do it!'"
Kowalski is the new kid on the block (Antoni Kowalski/Facebook/Wikipedia)He added: "I’m going to be honest with you, I never feel pressure. It’s just about concentration. I’m a different kind of man. I’ve been ready for the tour for four years now, so to finally qualify is a big relief."
Kowalski first started turning heads with his performances on the amateur circuit over the last year. As well as winning the Landywood Q Tour title by overcoming Rory McLeod 5-3 in November 2023, he also finished second in the European U-21 Championship.
He now has his sights set on moving to the UK so he does not have to keep on travelling from his hometown of Poznan, Poland, for competitions on these shores. "I would love to move to the UK, I love this country, I don’t know why, but it seems great," he added.
"Most of the players are training here so it’s great to get up a few levels. I was in Sheffield maybe five times, training for Q School. I loved being there training in academies with Chinese players and other guys from England, it was great."
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