The two snooker legends, both turning 51 this year, have a long history dating back to their teenage years. According to Metro - Main, O'Sullivan said he first played Higgins at Pontins when Higgins was 14, and he knew then that Higgins was an unbelievable player. A 15-year-old Higgins beat O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals of the 1991 World Junior Masters, and Higgins went on to win that tournament by defeating Mark Williams in the final, according to Metro - Main. They met in the finals of the Masters and British Open in 1995, each winning one trophy. Their first Crucible meeting was in 1996, which nearly didn't happen because O'Sullivan assaulted press officer Mike Ganley by headbutting him, according to Metro - Main. O'Sullivan later said he was not proud of the incident, calling it the only headbutt he had ever done. O'Sullivan won that quarter-final 13-12. According to Metro - Main, Higgins said he lay in bed the night before, unsure if he would play O'Sullivan due to conflicting reports that O'Sullivan might be thrown out of the tournament, and received a phone call confirming the match at 10am.
A controversy has emerged over O'Sullivan's use of a different chalk than most other players. TNT Sports commentators noted that O'Sullivan uses a chalk that leaves marks on the table. According to Daily Express - Sport, Higgins described playing after O'Sullivan or Luca Brecel as a 'nightmare' because the old-style Triangle Chalk makes the table messy. According to Daily Express - Sport, Hendry described the chalk as giving bad contacts and bouncing off the cushion, which gets annoying for other players as the table plays heavier and kicks become a factor. According to Daily Express - Sport, Bingham described table conditions playing totally differently when following O'Sullivan or Brecel. It remains unclear whether the World Snooker Tour has considered banning the old-style Triangle Chalk or how Higgins reacted to the chalk marks during the match.
I played him in Pontins when he was only 14 and I'd never heard of John until that tournament. You knew then that he was an unbelievable player. He's an amazing player.
When I first clapped eyes on him, I thought this guy was just incredible, there was something about him. Obviously that's been proved right.
I didn't know until one o'clock in the morning whether I was going to have to play Ronnie at 10am. Because that was the time he stuck the head on Mike Ganley or something. I thought it was every chance because there were conflicting reports that he was going to get thrown out of the tournament. So, I was lying in my bed at night, thinking: 'Am I going to get a bite of the semi-finals here?' I got a phone call in the hotel. The phone call basically says 'Yeah, you're playing Ronnie at 10 in the morning' and I was like, for f**k sake! So it's just funny the things I can remember. That was many years ago, 30 years ago. I remember it as clear as day.
He tried throwing me and my mate out of the players' lounge. I'm not proud of it; it's the only headbutt I've ever done in my life, and the only time I've grabbed someone by the balls and called them a grass. Like I say, I'd lost my way. I'd become someone I didn't want to be.
The camera is just focused on the chalk already on the table. That's because O'Sullivan uses a different chalk than everyone else on the tour now, with the odd exception. The chalk he uses still leaves some marks around.
Do you know why I got a kick? Because Luca was on previously. Luca doesn't use the [TAOM chalk]. They brushed [the table] but it's still really messy. It's difficult when you play guys like Ronnie and Luca and they're using the Triangle chalk. It's a bit of a nightmare.