Ronnie O'Sullivan says he is 'not good enough' to compete with world's best

O'Sullivan won the World Championship in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013

Five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan says he is "not good enough to compete with the best players in the world".

The Englishman beat Xiao Guodong to reach round two of the International Championship in Daqing, China.

World number nine O'Sullivan, 40, said he is "nowhere near" the level he was two years ago.

"I haven't had any good results but that tells you where I am with my game," he said.

O'Sullivan won his sixth Masters title in January and the Welsh Open in February.

However, since then he lost in the first round of the World Grand Prix, the second round of the World Championships in April, the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters and the last 32 of English Open.

He was beaten by world number three Judd Trump in the final of the European Masters this month.

"I am not going to turn my back on the game yet," said O'Sullivan, who revealed he enjoys punditry more than playing.

"I enjoy playing but I am probably not good enough to compete with the best players in the world because they are at their peak.

"I will still keep playing and hopefully will get a result, and if I don't I am just enjoying playing."

O'Sullivan will play Kurt Maflin on Tuesday in the ranking event in Daqing, the richest tournament staged outside the UK.

There were also first-round wins for world champion Mark Selby, Trump, Ding Junhui and John Higgins on Monday, but two-time world champion Mark Williams lost to wildcard Xu Si.