JOHN Higgins has ignored the interest surrounding the return of Ronnie O'Sullivan ahead of the Betfair.com World Championship.

The Scot and O'Sullivan have been involved in some epic battles down the years and could reignite their rivalry in the quarter-finals at the Crucible this year.

O'Sullivan has chosen to return from a self-imposed exile from snooker in time to defend his world title, a decision which was always likely to attract a great deal of agitation. Yet Higgins seems unaffected by the hype surrounding the Englishman's return.

"Ronnie's been a rival now for a long time but I wouldn't say we're really friends," said Higgins, who has won the world championship four times. "We get on but we both have very different lives. I've said I didn't really care what he does but, of course, it's good for the game that he's decided to continue playing.

"It would have been bad for the sport if he'd not come back to the Crucible to defend his world title. It's great for the tournament that he's back; it gives people something to talk about.

"We've had some great matches down the years but I'm just focused on my own game and not on everything surrounding Ronnie. I've been a professional a long time and Ronnie's quit before and come back, so you get used to it."

This time, O'Sullivan is returning to snooker's biggest tournament, though, and several fellow professionals have cast doubt over whether he will be sharp enough to deliver a title defence.

Higgins, though, has little doubt O'Sullivan is capable of turning on the magic when it matters most. "Snooker is not like pre-season at football; I don't think Ronnie will struggle," he said.

"He's played all his life; he's going to be the favourite to win every event he enters. He's one of the few players [for whom] it probably doesn't matter whether they played much or not, because he's such a natural player."

O'Sullivan, who opens his title defence against Marcus Campbell, of Dumbarton, has admitted that he does not know what to expect from supporters when he returns at the Crucible. "Can you imagine if I got booed? It could happen," he said. "I'm playing when a lot of people in the game thought it would never happen."