Ronnie O’Sullivan was in self-deprecating mood in spite of producing a fine comeback against Neil Robertson in the second round of The Masters.

The Rocket, who came from 3-0 down to triumph 6-4, was particular harsh in his assessment of how he thinks he is playing right now and said: “I’ve played some good matches but I’m not the player I was when I was 15 or 16 when I could pot the long ones like Robertson and score.”

“The reason I was 3-0 down was because I made a bad shot in the first frame and another in the second, not because he made a good clearance in the third. I scored a few in the balls but my long potting was two out of ten. My safety bought me a bit of time” added O’Sullivan.

World Snooker’s new chairman, Barry Hearn, commented afterwards: “I need a Tiger Woods or a Phil Taylor as a flag bearer for our brave new world. Ronnie could do that but he needs to be winning. There is no reason why he should not despite his harsh self-assessment that it is five years since he played throughout a tournament to a standard he deems acceptable.”

The Rocket meets Peter Ebdon for a place in the semi-finals of The Masters on Thursday.

WATCH both Ronnie and Neil’s Masters walk-on below.