Ronnie O'Sullivan has admitted he regrets his 'stupid' comments about targeting eight victories at each Triple Crown event following his Masters win over Ali Carter on Sunday.
The 48-year-old looked to be facing defeat after falling 6-3 behind at Alexandra Palace.
Yet O'Sullivan upped the ante and secured the crown with a remarkable turnaround, eventually winning 10-7.
The Rocket has become the youngest and oldest champion, while his victory also means he now has eight world titles to his name.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has admitted he regrets 'stupid' comments after beating Ali Carter to win the Masters
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That's two more than Stephen Hendry and five more than the likes of Mark Selby, Cliff Thorburn, Steve Davis and Paul Hunter.
O'Sullivan recently admitted he was hoping to clinch eight victories at each Triple Crown event.
But he's now conceded he regrets making those comments.
“I wish I hadn’t mentioned that stupid eight, eight, eight," he said.
“I am not even interested in it, but sometimes you feel you have got to say something.
"Really I have no interest in numbers.”
O'Sullivan also admitted he struggled to get excited by his latest triumph, despite continuing to write his name into the snooker history books.
“It is hard to get excited by it as I have been doing it for so long," he added.
“I just try and incorporate it into my life. That’s how I view snooker.
"It has been all of my life so I have to get that balance right between making sure I am ready to play, rather than feeling I have to put in loads of work and practice as I want to win tournaments. I am not burnt up by that anymore.
“It is just about going out and playing enough that if I get to a tournament and it all comes together, great.
"If it does not, I am going to try and put on as good a show as I can.”
O'Sullivan did, however, thank fans for supporting him.
"I've had an amazing career, I love playing and love competing," he said.
"The crowd has always been good to me over the years, that's the one thing I take from my career - the support I've had all around the world.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan poses with his Masters trophy after beating Ali Carter at Alexandra Palace on Sunday
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"To all the snooker fans, thank you for your support.
"I will keep trying until I can't pot any more balls.
"I've never been driven by titles or numbers, I just want to play well and enjoy the game. If I happen to pick up a few titles, that's a bonus.
"I'm trying to master the game and have never been able to do so, so I will keep trying to.
"I always have a good idea in February or March whether my game is good enough to win the Worlds.
Ronnie O'Sullivan was too strong for Ali Carter in the final of the Masters on Sunday
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"At the moment it is not good enough to be confident.
"I could still win it, but at the moment I'm having to squeeze everything out just to get a result which is hard, but I will keep fighting."
