Stephen Hendry is concerned that there is nobody able to stop Ronnie O’Sullivan beating his record of seven World Snooker Championship wins. Both snooker icons are tied for world title triumphs, with O’Sullivan the favourite for this year’s tournament.
The Rocket has been in sensation form over the last few months. He has won three titles in 50 days, adding the World Grand Prix to his Masters and UK Championship victories.
O’Sullivan is unbeaten on British soil since October and the only factor preventing a World Championship success might be the gruelling 17-day schedule. He has previously admitted that he struggled to get through the tournament when he last won in 2022.
Hendry has questioned why all the top players cannot beat O’Sullivan. He called out Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Mark Williams before pointing out that even Judd Trump was beaten by O’Sullivan in the World Grand Prix final.
“The Selbys, the Robertsons, the Williamses… Even Trump couldn’t beat him. Who is going to stop him winning a world title?”
It was pointed out to Hendry that some of the top snooker players are coming to the end of their career and are therefore declining in ability, while O’Sullivan appears to be getting better with age.
The 55-year-old agreed, adding that O’Sullivan’s performance in his 6-1 victory over Ding Junhui was among the best snooker he had ever seen. Hendry wonders who will fill the 48-year-old’s shoes when he does finally retire.
“It’s phenomenal. We have to applaud how he’s playing and the longevity,” he said. “It’s incredible. Some of the snooker he played in the semi-final last week was some of the best snooker I’ve ever seen. He’s raising the game to a new level.
“It worries me a bit if in four or five years’ time, if he does retire, who are the players who are going to take over? We say, ‘oh, snooker will survive’, but where is the next Ronnie O’Sullivan coming from? We’ve got to enjoy it while it lasts.”
O’Sullivan has eased the pressure on himself ahead of the World Snooker Championship, which takes place at The Crucible from April 20 to May 6. He believes Trump will win in Sheffield.
He said: “Judd is a warrior and for me he is favourite for Sheffield, but I have three months to try to get some consistency in my game. It will be nice to go there and enjoy it.”
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