opinion

Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry assess Ronnie’s form and motivation ahead of the UK Championship

Monique opinion, Professional snooker ,

Steve Davis

‘So be it’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan claim made as snooker legend gears up for UK Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan is bidding to win a record-extending ninth UK Championship, with snooker legend Steve Davis admitting that different rules apply to the Rocket.

By Nick Murphy

Steve Davis has dismissed any doubts over Ronnie O’Sullivan’s drive and determination as he aims for a ninth UK Championship crown.

The Rocket has skipped several tournaments this season, including the Wuhan Open, the British Open and the Northern Ireland Open, all due to medical reasons. He’s since returned to the baize at the International Open and the Champion of Champions, ahead of his latest appearance at the Barbican.

Davis isn’t the slightest bit worried about O’Sullivan’s hunger as he looks to add another UK Championship trophy to his collection, two decades on from his first. And he’s suggested the Essex potter, who takes on Barry Hawkins in the first round in York, is in a league of his own when it comes to managing his tournament schedule.

“I think it’s worked well for Ronnie the last couple of years he’s been doing it,” Davis revealed in our UK Championship snooker preview, out now. “He doesn’t have anything to prove, so he doesn’t need to play in every event. There is a problem with getting enough ranking points so that he stays at the top end of the game.“

“I don’t think Ronnie would want to be in a situation where he has to qualify for the Crucible. He has to play in events to stay in the top 16 if that’s still a motivating force. But different rules apply to Ronnie, he’s absolutely paid his dues within the game,” reports the Express.

“It’s not that he doesn’t love the game. He’s been playing for so long and it’s incredible what he’s done, but if he doesn’t want to play in events because he’s got other things to do or that makes him stronger in the main events then so be it.“

Davis continued: “I think that’s great. The worst thing is if you’re playing events because you feel like you have to and you’re just going through the motions. That’s not the right mental state to be turning up in a tournament for, you’re unlikely to get the best out of yourself.“

Although the World Championship isn’t until well into 2025, the conversation inevitably shifts to O’Sullivan’s pursuit of an eighth snooker title. Davis doesn’t think that surpassing Stephen Hendry’s record is O’Sullivan’s primary driving force, despite how much he’d love to achieve the milestone.

“I do feel that he’d love to get an eighth, that would be something that would give him a buzz,” Davis concedes. “But in order to do that you’ve got to remain relevant and competitive. If it is the case that it’s the only thing on his mind, it would be difficult to play for the rest of the season.“

“It’s proof that he’s still entering tournaments that he still loves the game.”

Stephen Hendry

Stephen Hendry issues blunt Ronnie O’Sullivan verdict ahead of UK Championship defence

Stephen Hendry has given his verdict on Ronnie O’Sullivan’s chances of enjoying more Triple Crown glory as The Rocket prepares to begin his defence of the UK Championship

By Mark Whiley

Stephen Hendry insists it would be “stupid” to write off Ronnie O’Sullivan at the UK Championship.

By his own admission, The Rocket’s powers are on the wane and he has skipped several tournaments already this season, citing medical issues. However, it’s still less than year since O’Sullivan won eighth titles at the both the UK Championship and Masters, taking his overall Triple Crown tally to an incredible 23.

An eighth world title, which would see him go out on his own ahead of Hendry, continues to elude him and looks less likely as each year passes. However, Hendry argues that more major tournament success for O’Sullivan cannot be ruled out if he can get somewhere close to his brilliant best.

“On his day, when he plays his best, he’s still the best player in the world,” Hendry told Mirror Sport ahead of tournament, where he will be on punditry duty for BBC.

“But those unbelievable performances are becoming fewer and farther between. It would be stupid to write him off because if he plays at his best, he will do it [win the big tournaments]. But there’s no doubt it’s going to get harder the older he gets.

“You’ve got Judd Trump, who’s turning into a winning machine and Kyren Wilson is having an incredible season as world champion. There’s so many great players out there. If Ronnie plays his best, he probably still is the best player. But he doesn’t do it that often.”

With other interests in the game, Hendry, who retired for a second and final time earlier this year, feels O’Sullivan’s competitive juices have faded. The five-time UK champion added: “He’s always looked at other things beyond [competitive] snooker.”

“He’s got an academy in Saudi Arabia, he does a lot of exhibitions in China which makes him a lot of money. So maybe the competitive side is not as high up in his priorities as it used to be.

“It’s going to be interesting to see if he apples himself to tournaments likes the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship.”

Personally, I have no great expectations. I expected Xiao Guodong to cause Ronnie problems in the CoC and was proved right. That said Ronnie played better than I expected and Xiao went on to reach the final. So, maybe, that defeat isn’t as significant as I thought it was right after that match.

Barry Hawkins is a very, very solid match player but hasn’t a great record against Ronnie. We can only wait and… hope.

The 2024 British Open – Poor conditions, poor crowds

Monique opinion, Professional snooker tournament, Snooker ,

I would like some feedback on this one, by people who attended the event, and people who play the game and are able to express a meaningful opinion about the way the tables play in this event, and played in recent events.

Mark Allen has been very critical about the conditions

‘The conditions out there are absolutely embarrassing’ – Mark Allen

Antrim snooker player blasts tables at the British Open championship.

THE FOLLY OF LEAVING doors open to drafts was exposed at the British Open snooker championships, when Mark Allen lost his cool with the state of the tables after his 4-3 win over Gary Wilson.

Speaking to ITV after his match at the Centaur Arena at Cheltenham Racecourse, the Co Antrim man got a few things off his chest.

“The conditions out there are absolutely embarrassing,” Allen told ITV.

“It’s some of the worst weather outside and they’ve left the massive transport doors open. It’s so cold, it’s so humid, out there.”

He got on a roll then, proclaiming, “The table needs to be burned.

“The cushions are unplayable, uncontrollable. It was heavy. The speed was decent.

“There are new guys doing the tables this year and they’re clearly not up to it.”

World Snooker then issued a response, saying in a statement, “Our table-fitting team has been consistent for some time and works to the highest standards.

“The weather in the area has seen unprecedented rainfall over the last couple of days which can negatively influence the conditions.

“We have raised the issue of an open door with the venue.”

Allen has since clarified his remarks on X, formerly Twitter, this morning, writing about his interaction with interviewer Rob Walker, ‘After having some time to calm down I’d like to apologise to @robwalkertv for that interview. My anger wasn’t directed at him and he definitely deserved a better interview. My frustrations were 100% at the conditions which frankly haven’t been anywhere good enough this season.’

Indeed it seems to me that the conditions in general this season have been suboptimal. I have seen a lot of players this season staring at the table in incredulity after shots went astray.

And it seems to me that the fans haven’t exactly been “crowding” the venue. Most matches I watched were not on the main table and the “crowd” watching was very small, only a few people really. Also it’s been like that in early rounds in previous events as well. It’s only at the final week-ends1 that things get better.

  1. And for some player(s) when they elect to play… ↩︎

Food for thoughts … 10 June 2024

Monique opinion

The first ranking event of the season starts in a few hours. The summer hiatus comes to an end and I want to share a few thoughts about some of the things that happened during the “break”.

A lot of exhibitions were organised during the late spring, both in Asia and in mainland Europe. More than I can remember ever before certainly. They were very well attended and some additional dates had to be added for the European “leg” such was the demand. They “sold out” in no time. WST seems to have relaxed the restrictions on those events quite a bit, which is good. . This is probably the result of the renegotiation of the players contract, under pressure of the players representatives. Giving more visibility to those exhibitions has certainly not caused the sport any damage, quite the opposite.

A number of snooker players were/are in China, playing in a Heyball event with a prize money worth over 200000 pounds for the winner. Amongst them, two former World Champions Stuart Bingham and Graeme Dott.

In recent days I have been watching a lot of the 2024 nine ball pool World Championship and I think snooker could learn from them. I did like the setup in Jeddah a lot. I also like the double elimination system, as it gives every player a guaranteed two matches. One of the players who lost his first match, made the most of his second chance and reached the SFs. The field is much younger than in snooker, and much, much more international. Events are organised all around the globe – no UK centrism here – with events coming in Hanoi, the USA and Germany in the summer. I which snooker was much more like that. Of course, pool is easier to learn at a basic level than snooker, the tables are smaller too. It’s cheaper and probably economically more profitable for clubs to invest in pool equipment rather than in snooker equipment. Even so, I think it would be worth to analyse the reasons behind their success … especially are they are not even shown on television, at least not in our part of the world.

Then the was this post on facebook by Tim Dunkley, one of the most respected coaches in the UK:

I WAS reminded this morning of what I said a year ago when eight past or present members of the Saturday morning junior leagues at Chandlers Ford Snooker Club were called up by England for the 2023 Home Internationals.

“We will never be able to repeat this achievement,” I declared.

How wrong can you be. This week eight past or present members of the Saturday morning junior leagues received invites for the 2024 Home Internationals.

All eight started their competitive careers in our Under-13 League. So for those players struggling to make a bridge hand or trying to hit the cue-ball in a straight line or even yet to pick up a cue for the first time, commitment and hard work could lead to you donning a waistcoat with a gold three-lions badge. It happened with these eight.

The Chandlers Ford SC Under-13 League runs from 9-11am every Saturday. The Under-19 League runs from 11am-1pm every Saturday. We also run junior competitions from 11am-3pm on every weekday during every school holiday.

Time now to prove that these eight were once beginners. Pictured are: Asten Sahota, Ellise Scott, Harry Wyatt, Oliver Sykes, O’Shay Scott, Riley Ellis, Ryan Spratt and William Thomson.

First of all, well done to Tim and his team: they do a great job to bring kids of both genders to snooker and have done that for many years. One name in that list caught my attention, I put it in bold. Ellise is a 13 years old girl. I checked the HIBSF site and there doesn’t seem to be a women event on the menu. So I can only suppose that Ellise has been deemed good enough to compete in the open event, on par with the boys belonging to the same age group. And it appears that another young girl will compete for Scotland: Sophie Nix. I’m not sure it’s happened before and it shows that, although there is still a lot of work to do to bring more girls to snooker and nurture their talent, the WWS tour has a real purpose and there are clubs and coaches ready to invest themselves to the task.

There are currently 125 players on tour. One more qualifying event is to be played in Australia in July. Invitational tour cards, if any, are yet to be announced.

Saudi Arabia Snooker and Nine Ball Pool Announcements … and what I think of it.

Monique opinion, Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament ,

This has been published on WST site earlier today:

SAUDI ARABIA SNOOKER MASTERS: NEW RANKING EVENT ANNOUNCED!

INAUGURAL SAUDI ARABIA SNOOKER MASTERS AND WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TO TAKE PLACE IN RIYADH AND JEDDAH AS PART OF MAJOR 10-YEAR DEAL

•    Snooker’s ‘fourth Major’, with over £2m prize fund, to launch in Riyadh in August
•    ‘Crown Jewel’ World Pool Championship will take place in Jeddah this June 
•    Exciting legacy commitment with Ministry of Sport for Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation sees strong focus on developing both sports in the region over next decade
 
The world’s best snooker and Nineball pool players will this year descend upon Saudi Arabia to launch a 10-year deal that will bring two major annual sporting events to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and transform Billiards in the Middle East.

The World Snooker Tour and World Nineball Tour – in partnership with the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation and the Ministry of Sport for Saudi Arabia – confirmed today that a historic, decade-long association will start this summer, with events in both Riyadh and Jeddah. 

It begins this June (3rd-8th), when the 2024 World Pool Championship – the crown jewel of the World Nineball Tour – takes place at the Green Halls in Jeddah.

A record World Nineball Tour prize fund of $1,000,000 will be contested by the planet’s premier pool cueists, including reigning world champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, five-time US Open champion and 2022 world champion Shane Van Boening and 2018 world champion Joshua Filler.

Then, in August (31st-September 7th) in Riyadh, the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters – spearheaded by the world’s leading players – takes place and officially becomes the sport’s ‘fourth major’ alongside the traditional Triple Crown events. A prize pot of over £2million will be at stake in what is the second richest event on the prestigious World Snooker Tour schedule in 2024.

The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will be a world ranking event open to all 128 tour players, plus six local wild cards from the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation.

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Minister of Sport, and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee Sports said: “Saudi Arabia is an ever-emerging home to all sports and we’re excited by the opportunity to add new world-class events in snooker and Nineball pool to our growing year-round calendar. Hosting global events is all part of our strategy to grow all sports and to inspire our people to participate by giving them the chance to enjoy live sporting action. We are a young country with a young population and the approach is working. Since 2018 we’ve hosted over 100 international sports events and during that time sports participation has more than tripled.”

Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation, the country has become a welcoming host for some of the biggest global sports events for both male and female athletes including football, motorsports, tennis, equestrian, esports and golf, attended by over 2.6 million sports fans.

Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has forged a reputation for growth and creating new opportunities for sports to grow in a new market to new fans. The country has hosted some of the world’s premier sporting events in recent years, welcoming visitors from all over to experience its passion for sport and unique culture. The addition of both the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and World Pool Championship over the next decade further enhances that as it heralds an exciting chapter for Snooker and Nineball pool. We have seen the incredible impact Boxing has had in this region. Now, I believe we will see Billiards cement its legacy here too, creating incredible opportunities and competition for the finest players on the planet.” 

Saudi Arabia Billiard & Snooker Federation President, Dr. Nasser Saab Al-Shammari, added: “The introduction of two brand new global events in Saudi Arabia with long-term deals in place is absolute game changing moment for our sports. We have a flourishing community but until now opportunities were limited expose to the game’s elite. 

“This will undoubtedly accelerate our progress and development. We look forward to warmly welcoming the very best snooker and Nineball pool players in the world to the Kingdom and taking their sports into the heart of our communities, while also giving emerging young Saudi players the chance to compete at this level for the first time with a ‘home’ event.”  

“Both events will be underpinned by community engagement to introduce new players to the sport and will open up new talent pathways over the decade. Clinics for coaches, for referees and player visits will guarantee a massive boost and a bright future for both snooker and pool in Saudi Arabia.”       

Global television syndication will ensure fans around the world will get to enjoy both the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and the World Pool Championship.

Both sports have also pledged a strong focus and commitment to grow and develop the game in the region in tandem with the Saudi Arabian Billiard and Snooker Federation, along with offering wild card places to burgeoning, local talent to take part in the annual world-class competitions. 

Further details in relation to both ground-breaking events will be released in due course separately by the World Snooker Tour and the World Nineball Tour.

This snooker Masters is clearly a different event to the invitational that will take place in March this year. It’s “open” to the 128 players, but it’s unclear if all 128 will play at the venue or if, once again, “qualifiers” will be played in the UK.

There is no doubt that the prize money is very attractive and I’m not expecting the players to boycott it.

BUT … but …

Saudi Arabia has one of the worst records when it comes to human rights and women’s rights.

This is a country where one can be imprisoned or even executed for peacefully protesting or peacefully expressing opinions that go against what the authoritarian regime and the religious authorities see as appropriate. Children as young as 15 years old have been arrested and imprisoned. You might want to read this report by Amnesty International and this one as well

This is a country where women are not considered “adults”, they are always under the control of a male legal “guardian”. Although there been some recent reforms, women’s rights are still very restricted under the guardianship system. You might want to read this piece by Amnesty International.

I have no doubts that the events will be well organised, and that the players will be well looked after and spoiled. In recent years, organising major sporting events have been a “means” for the Saudi authorities to improve their “image” and attract lucrative investments. That’s the very nature of sports-washing. I’m extremely disappointed and saddened to see snooker heading this way, although I’m not surprised. “Making money” as always been what the Hearn clan, and hence Matchroom, are about. There is nothing wrong in trying to make good money … I just wish it was done with at least some kind of moral compass. 😔

And … to brand this event “officially the fourth major” only adds insult to injury. 😡

13 February 2024 – David Hendon on why we shouldn’t be too quick to “judge” our snooker heroes

Monique Eurosport, Media, opinion , ,

Following Ronnie’s withdrawal from the 2024 Welsh Open, David Hendon – who has been around the tour and got to know the circuit and the players for many years – shared this piece on the Eurosport website.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN, MARK SELBY, NEIL ROBERTSON DESERVE MORE EMPATHY REGARDING EXTERNAL FACTORS – DAVE HENDON

BY DAVE HENDON

Dave Hendon details why the general public must not forget that snooker players – and sportspeople in general – should not be seen as superheroes, but as human beings. With Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrawing from the Welsh Open due to “anxiety”, and Mark Selby recently opening up about his issues at home, Hendon explains why it’s important to consider “external factors” when analysing their play.

What was Dennis Taylor thinking about as Steve Davis won frame after frame, threatening to turn their 1985 World Championship final into a damp squib?

Taylor played that season in a haze of grief following the sudden death of his mother at the age of 62. He withdrew from a tournament when the sad news came through and was not going to play in the next one, the Grand Prix at Reading, until urged to do so by his family.

Driven by pure emotion, he beat Cliff Thorburn 10-2 to win his first ranking title. A few months later he was facing Davis in snooker’s showpiece match at the Crucible.

Taylor had first seen a snooker table as an excited eight year-old in Coalisland, Northern Ireland. He was from a typically close-knit Catholic family, the bonds of which could not be broken. As Davis piled on the misery, Taylor talked in his head to his mother. Finding calm amid the Sheffield storm, he staged a memorable recovery from 8-0 down to win on the final black of the match.

As he told the Belfast Telegraph in 2020: “That was one for my mum. She was still there helping me. I had her to chat to. It helped to keep me relaxed throughout that final game.”

Taylor’s story underlines something fundamental. The world of modern sport endlessly analyses technique and performance but can often forget the human realities which lie behind every competitor.

In snooker, we routinely obsess about cue actions, a player’s long game, their safety prowess and how many centuries they are knocking in. We rarely stop to consider the external factors which could be affecting all of the above.

Every life is informed by a heady mix of experiences, some exhilaratingly good, some heartbreakingly bad.

It’s no surprise these are widely overlooked because we go to sport to escape the very pressures which burden us in everyday life. But peel back the surface and you will find that snooker players, like anyone else, are human.

Mark Selby has long been regarded as snooker’s iron man, at times impossible to break down, yet he has dealt with considerable pain away from the baize. His parents divorced when he was young and, at 16, his father passed away, leaving Selby to rely on help from friends at the snooker club.

He rose to the top of the sport but has been battling mental health issues stemming from unresolved grief. During the last year his wife, Vikki, has been undergoing treatment for cancer. A close friend of the couple died recently from the same cancer at the age of 44.

Given all of this, how does Selby concentrate on a snooker match?

Perhaps the table can serve as a refuge. In some ways it’s as far away from real life as you can get, a cocoon away from the cruelty of fate where the only concern is whether you can successfully get a ball into a hole.

Selby’s form has dipped this season, most likely because his preparation has been affected by what is going on at home, but the experience has also reminded him of what is important. He told the Metro last week: “Playing does help because it gives me a purpose. I’m doing it for Vikki and [daughter] Sofia, to put food on the table, so I’ve got a drive to keep going for them.”

Neil Robertson has spoken of his wife, Mille’s, struggles with mental health and his pride in how she has overcome them. It was a difficult time for the couple, with Robertson attempting to juggle family with a high profile career.

He told Eurosport in 2020: “I had a few mixed results on the table and people not really knowing why. It wasn’t myself going through those issues, but when you are trying to help someone through them in some ways it can probably be worse because you feel completely helpless in that situation.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been through several emotional maelstroms and somehow still come out not only standing tall but arguably stronger than ever.

His father’s imprisonment just as O’Sullivan became a national figure precipitated a spiral of depression and substance abuse. It took him years to find a way to cope. Snooker was both an anchor and a weight around his feet. He needed it but at the same time it exacerbated the very problems he was dealing with.

In the midst of arguably his greatest ever season, he is skipping this week’s Welsh Open pointing to “stage fright” and anxiety over his performance. “I just can’t get my cue out when I feel like this,” O’Sullivan said.

Even Stephen Hendry, the iceman of the 1990s with a seemingly impenetrable shield of invincibility wrapped around his shoulders, was not immune to real life.

He spent long hours playing snooker as a boy in part as a distraction from his parents’ divorce. In his autobiography, Me and the Table, Hendry writes of this unhappy part of his childhood: “Now, more than ever, snooker is a fixation. I discover that the physical and emotional disturbance caused by the split can be pushed away into a corner when I’m at the table.”

It’s sad to hear exciting talents such as Jack Lisowski and world champion Luca Brecel recently talking about how they are not enjoying their snooker. Lisowski said at the World Grand Prix that he was longing for a break. When Brecel was asked before walking out at the Masters if he was looking forward to it, he sounded as if he’d rather be anywhere else.

To the watching world this sounds strange, but we are only watching. The media, social media, the wider public – all of us – are guilty of judging without really knowing what is going on underneath the shiny surface. Maybe we don’t really want to know, because sport is where we go to escape our own pain.

To some, it is ephemeral, a distraction to be switched on or off, its performers there for our benefit and entertainment. Others regard sportspeople as superheroes. They aren’t. They bruise like the rest of us.

In a world that could use more empathy, maybe sport is where we should start.

There is not much to add to this and it applies to people around us in every day’s life as well as to our sporting heroes. In particular, this applies to our every day usage of social media. There is that idea floating around that those who earn a lot of money and are “successful” should be happy, have no actual right to feel down. How often have I read about Ronnie that he should “get a real job” or “work down the mine” to know what hardship is. Of course money helps in life but it doesn’t buy you happiness, it doesn’t heal deep psychological wounds. A rather depressed and self-deprecating Ronnie once told me about his money … “it gives me the luxury to go and cry somewhere sunny if I so wish … ”

Words can hurt as much, and sometimes even more, than a physical blow. Being kind(er) costs nothing.

The bold highlight is my doing.

The 2024 German Master starts in about an hour…

Monique opinion, Professional snooker ,

The 2024 German Master starts in about an hour and yet the piece Neil Foulds wrote on the eve of the event is about the man who won’t be there … and also a bit about the Tempodrom, snooker in continental Europe and the challenges the defending Champion, Ali Carter, faces.

Neal Foulds column: Ronnie O’Sullivan snooker’s dominant force again as focus turns to World Championship bid

By Neal Foulds

What Ronnie O’Sullivan is doing right now is incredible. In sporting terms, never mind snooker, we are witnessing greatness in front of our eyes and just when we think we might be at the beginning of the end, he comes again and reminds us that even now, at 48 years of age, he is still the man. 

He is an amazing sportsman. The youngest and the oldest winner of the UK Championship, that record chalked up only last month, and now confirmed as the youngest and the oldest player to win the Masters only a few weeks ago. All topped off with victory at last week’s World Grand Prix. More records, more memories, more of that Ronnie magic. It’s bonkers, really, beyond belief. 

Even now, he is as dominant as ever, as far ahead of his peers that I can ever remember. 

He is in the realms of dominance that we haven’t seen since Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis. He’s number one in the rankings, he’s got so many points in the bank he might need to open another account soon, and he’s in the envious position of probably needing to pick and choose from here until the World Championship to ensure he isn’t overcooked by the time Sheffield comes around. 

He’ll miss next week’s German Masters, which is a huge loss for the event, but perfectly understandable all the same.

Ronnie is now 15 matches unbeaten, which is staggering in itself, but when you consider that those wins span two Triple Crown tournaments, the hardest events to win, it’s clear that we are talking about complete and utter domination. And it’s not just his play on the table. He has an air of invincibility that Hendry had, that Davis had, but that I wasn’t sure a 48-year-old could have, not even Ronnie. 

Is he as good as he was in 2013 when he won the World Championship after taking a year off? I’m not sure he is, but he can win in different ways now. He might not be able to produce the jaw-dropping session of snooker we saw in semi-final defeat of Ding Junhui at the World Grand Prix quite so often, but he’s prepared to roll his sleeves up nowadays and win when he’s not at his best.

He’ll grind out victories in matches he might have lost 10 years ago, and where we always used to think of him as a brilliant, almost unstoppable frontrunner, he is now so hard to shake off even if starting matches slowly and falling behind. It was that way in the Masters final against Ali Carter and again when trailing Judd Trump in the final of the World Grand Prix last week. He just wouldn’t buckle and eventually, he broke his opponents down. 

Dr Stephen Peters must take plenty of credit for his input, and Ronnie says that himself. His attitude rarely lets him down nowadays, and to beat O’Sullivan you know you’re generally going to have to play somewhere close to your best. The harsh reality is that even the best players don’t seem capable of doing that right now, and I’m not sure many believe they can beat him. 

And as we have always said, if O’Sullivan plays his best, he’s almost impossible to beat. His scoring is always deadly, his unrivalled positional play ensures that, but when his long game is on point like it was in Leicester, you can’t see him losing too many matches. Ronnie’s long game isn’t always as strong as it was last week, but when that facet of his game clicks, there are no chinks in his armour.

He can’t keep winning every week, of course he can’t, but right now, when he’s playing well, it’s hard to see who steps up to take him down. The tournament organisers in Germany might be disappointed he isn’t in Berlin, but the other players will be relieved. 

One man who will be particularly happy to see the back of Ronnie is Ding, denied late in the UK Championship final and completely blown away in that session of their semi-final at the World Grand Prix. It was simply awesome stuff from Ronnie, and my ITV colleague Ken Doherty described it as the best session of snooker he’s ever seen. 

I wouldn’t want to completely nail my colours to that mast, but most of the best sessions in the history of snooker involve Ronnie – his 6-0 drubbing of Ricky Walden at the Masters in 2014, when notching 556 points without reply, is another performance I’ll never forget.

What a player he’s been, and what a player he continues to be. A truly remarkable sportsman.

If the match with Ding was memorable for its quality, his defeat of Carter at the Masters will be remembered for different reasons. The match and whole furore around the final was unsavoury, we can’t get away from that. The two have history and it showed, but that probably inspired Ronnie. Once again, he dug deep to win a match he might’ve lost a few years ago. 

Carter played really well in the afternoon session and put Ronnie under pressure, but I think that spurred Ronnie on and he got stronger and stronger as things developed. Carter wasn’t the same player as he saw his hopes of a maiden Triple Crown win slip away, but all credit to Ronnie who just wouldn’t be beaten. 

Attention now turns to Berlin for a tournament that I have a lot of time for. The Tempodrom is one of the best venues I’ve been to and when it gets to finals weekend, it’s as good as anywhere in the world to watch snooker. People who say otherwise haven’t been and experienced it for themselves. 

The support for snooker in Germany is fantastic and the enthusiasm for the sport helps deliver a wonderful atmosphere for the players to play in. We have a Belgian world champion now, and a German Masters extended to seven days this year, so I think we are seeing some really positive signs for snooker on the continent.

Carter will return as defending champion, and the two-time German Masters winner will no doubt fancy his chances again. He’s a tough cookie, on and off the table, and he won’t be fazed by all the noise from his latest spat with Ronnie. It might well light the fire in his belly.

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter before the Masters final

He won’t be the only big name desperate to do well in Berlin, though. Carter’s results have been good all season, but for people like Mark Selby and Neil Robertson, they will be very keen for a deep run somewhere, not just for the ranking points, but to try and gain some confidence and momentum ahead of a crucial juncture in the season. 

We often talk about trying to peak for the World Championship, but Robertson certainly won’t be thinking about that. He needs to find some form now, and someone like Kyren Wilson, who has a terrific record in this event, is the same. 

For Ronnie, you get the sense that from here on in, it’s all about Sheffield. I hope and think we’ll see him in the big ITV events coming up, but he has said he’ll be managing his workload from now until April and you can’t really blame him. Whenever we do see him, he’ll be the man to beat, but his focus appears to have already shifted to the Crucible. 

There aren’t many things that Ronnie O’Sullivan hasn’t achieved in snooker, but winning all three Triple Crown events in the same season is one of those things. How utterly ridiculous that in what should be the final act of his illustrious career, he holds all the cards, most of the trophies, and a wave of public support that will mean 8, 8, 8 is never far from the minds of snooker fans from now until the spring. 

23 January 2024 – Dave Hendon about Ronnie, snooker and retirement …

Monique Media, opinion ,

Writing for Eurosport, David Hendon reflects on the complex relationship between Ronnie and his sport

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN CONTINUES TO FLIRT WITH RETIREMENT BUT WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO LEAVE SNOOKER, ASKS DAVE HENDON

BY DAVE HENDON

Eurosport’s Dave Hendon looks at when Ronnie O’Sullivan could retire from snooker after his World Grand Prix win, and what ‘The Rocket’ might do next in life if he did step away from the sport. O’Sullivan beat Judd Trump in the final of the World Grand Prix to continue his fine form this season. However, The Rocket has hinted at stepping away from snooker in the near future.

When is the right time to leave the party? On a high and still having fun or well past the time it’s ceased to be enjoyable?

Ronnie O’Sullivan has long pondered this conundrum. It’s a harder question for him because for extended periods of his career, he has been on top of the world and still looking for the exit.

He has now won the last three tournaments he has entered: an eighth UK Championship, an eighth Masters and, last night, the World Grand Prix with a comeback from 4-0 down to beat Judd Trump 10-7.

At 48, some 32 years into his professional career, he is arguably at his most dominant. Yet suggestions of retirement continue to swirl around him, stemming from his own comments and the wider views of the snooker world.

Last week Ken Doherty posited the notion that the game’s greatest ever player could bow out after winning an eighth world title this coming May, an audacious exit at the very top.

Such a scenario could be tempting, but if he can win eight world titles, why not a ninth? Why not 10? He could enshrine a legacy which may remain unreachable for generations. And he may miss it as much as his vast legion of fans would miss him.

O’Sullivan’s retirement threats have been constant and at times comical. His first was after losing to Doherty in the 1994 UK Championship. He was 18.

Many of us have been surly teenagers, so this premature reaction to defeat could be forgiven. However, the threats continued and continued over three decades as he got older.

The downbeat statements left many fans bored, although the media kept reporting his vows to walk away with a straight face. Surely this time he means it, right?

In 2012, it seemed as if he had finally made good on his words, although he stated he would be taking a year off rather than departing the stage for good.

What to do with all that precious free time? O’Sullivan spent a few days working on a pig farm but inevitably ended up watching snooker on TV and by January 2013 was missing the circuit so much that he turned up at the Masters to watch two old foes, Mark Selby and Graeme Dott, doing battle.

He returned to competitive action a few months later and, with a style and nerve only he could summon, retained his world title. He has played a busy schedule ever since.

So what is the reason for the constant flirtation with retirement? You don’t need a degree in psychology to recognise that O’Sullivan has a love-hate relationship with snooker. At times it entrances him. On Saturday night in his semi-final demolition of Ding Junhui he found the perfection he has long searched for. At other times it leaves him in deep depression. He doesn’t feel comfortable and his form deserts him.

The other side of the sport, dealing with media and fans, the expectations of outsiders and demands on his time, the scrutiny and judgements, have always been something O’Sullivan has found hard to tolerate.

It was noticeable how freely he played at the 2020 World Championship, staged almost entirely behind closed doors because of Covid. With hardly anyone around wanting a piece of him, he won a first Crucible crown in seven years.

Two years later he secured a record-equalling seventh world title. His reaction was not one of joy but an outpouring of emotion after a mentally gruelling 17 days. Even after making history he was still left wondering why he was putting himself through this.

There is no playbook for when a snooker player retires. In physical sports, your body decides for you. The green baize game allows for longevity, although aches and pains are still common for players who have spent most of their lives bent over a table potting balls.

Many a snooker player has threatened retirement, usually in the aftermath of defeat. They invariably come to their senses, not least because most have little else to fall back on having been focused on nothing but the table since their childhood years.

Ali Carter is a qualified pilot so he could take to the skies, but the thrill of competition is too compelling to turn away from while he is still playing the sort of snooker that took him close to the Masters title earlier this month.

Hardly anyone actually walks away of their own volition. They are usually dragged off kicking and screaming, often ending up back in Q School trying to start all over again.

Terry Griffiths, the 1979 world champion, dropped out of the elite top 16 in 1996 and retired a year later at the age of 49, but he had a position lined up as head of coaching for snooker’s governing body.

Stephen Hendry, seven times the Crucible king, made the shock decision to retire in 2012 at 43. Like Griffiths, he had dropped out of the top 16 and was finding it hard to accept losing to players he would once have swatted away. But Hendry also had a lucrative job waiting for him, promoting pool in China.

More recently Alan McManus called it a day in 2021 but by then he had long established himself as a brilliant TV analyst. Fergal O’Brien, a professional since 1991, will retire at the end of this season with relegation from the circuit looming. He plans to coach and has joined the Eurosport commentary team.

Notice that all these retired players have remained within snooker. It’s what they know and love. Steve Davis became a musician and DJ but still pitches up at tournaments for studio punditry, as if the link is too deep-seated to be broken.

Hendry of course came back eight years later, accepting a wildcard for the tour. His old rival Jimmy White, 61, has no thoughts whatsoever about packing it in.

O’Sullivan is the world No. 1. He has won four titles this season, losing only three matches the whole campaign. He is closing in on £1m in prize money for the current term and is clearly still feared by the majority of the tour. Given all of that, it would be a huge decision to quit any time soon.

Time catches up with us all in the end. There will come a moment when O’Sullivan actually will retire. Most likely it will only be from professional competition. He can write his own cheques for exhibition, media, and ambassadorial work. He will remain a huge figure in the sport long after he is still chasing titles.

Snooker is O’Sullivan’s anchor. It defines him, whether he likes that fact or not. It is his means of making a good living, of expressing himself, of feeling fulfilled.

Like any long-term relationship, it has its ups and downs but he keeps coming back to it because that first spark of love he experienced when young is still in him.

So even if he does walk away, he won’t be walking far.

The situation in 2012 was a bit more complex than just making good of retirement talk. Ronnie had gone through three extremely difficult years. After splitting with his former partner – Lilly and Ronnie Jr mother – he had got in trouble with the authorities for missing several tournaments, withdrawing last minute or just not showing up. His game had suffered, he had no form, he was in a bad place mentally. Just before the 2011 World Championship, on advice from his then manager, Django Fung, he had started working with Steve Peters, who has helped him enormously ever since. The thing is, his private situation, at the time, was difficult. His former partner was showing no flexibility when it came to visiting his children. He was assigned fixed dated, often at short notice, and it often clashed with his snooker commitments. When he missed a visit, his former partner used it in court against him and he didn’t want to lose his kids. When he missed tournaments, he got in trouble with the snooker authorities. Also, he found the new WST contract too restrictive. So he decided to step away… only to find out after a while that he missed it, and that being idle brought back some bad habits too. Snooker is the only thing he knows, he said that again recently. As David wrote at the end of the piece … he won’t go anywhere far.