Not an avid follower of snooker. Will watch the occasional tournament now and then. Like most things that come out of O'Sullivan's mouth, it should be taken with a pinch of salt. There's truth to it of course as there almost always tends to be, but he can't seem to help deliver that truth without sounding like a total prick.

If the young players coming through were that good, then a 44 or however old and 60/70% O'Sullivan shouldnt be able to keep up. Fact.

Fenster would know this off the top of his head but how old would Stephen Hendry have been when he inevitably thought I cant do this anymore, I can't compete. Late 30's? Early 40's? And he had to compete with a young rampaging O'Sullivan, Williams etc.

Snooker isn't a physical game. There's a certain physicality to it, but it's more of a technical thing rather than taxing. If you use the elevator method for judging someone's prime like they do in boxing, the physical side drops quickly at a certain age. Not so applicable for a less physically demanding sport like snooker, especially for someone like O'Sullivan who in his thirties I think, decided he'd take up running and recorded times for the 10k that put him in the top 1500 runners in the country. The physical and mental elevators stay in contact for longer.

Given that he's not having to fend off, well a younger him. It's no surprise that one of the greatest to ever play the game is able to compete into his 40's.