John Higgins has stated that he does not consider Ronnie O'Sullivan or Mark Williams as friends, despite being part of snooker's legendary Class of '92. The trio have been rivals for 34 years, with Higgins and O'Sullivan set to meet at the World Snooker Championship on Saturday for their 80th encounter.
Speaking on the Talking Snooker podcast in 2023, Higgins said: 'I don't really know Ronnie at all. When you think all these years we've been on the tour, we've never really been that close, I could count on one hand the amount of meals we've had together.' He added that competing for the same titles makes friendship difficult: 'Going for the same titles, you cannot be all that friendly with each other.'
O'Sullivan, who progressed to the second round with a 10-2 win over He Guoqiang, offered a different perspective. He told TNT Sports: 'I don't really get close to anyone on the snooker circuit, because I don't really hang around tournaments.' He prefers to separate work from leisure, saying: 'I choose to separate work from my off time.'
Higgins advanced with a 10-7 victory over Ali Carter. The Class of '92 members have combined for 11 world championships and 74 ranking titles.
