Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan came to Sheffield this year newly installed as world no.1 and chasing history. He leaves the steel city confirmed as snooker's greatest ...

Yet Hendry was never quite the same after his seventh victory. He keeps himself fit and has the natural talent to underpin the hard work he puts in. His great friend and Eurosport colleague Jimmy Whitefirmly believes O’Sullivan can go on to win as many as 10 world titles. His record of seven world titles was set in 1999. It means it is all over for another year and we are left to reflect on the 17 days just gone. He says they are just numbers but there will surely be a day when he looks back on it all with genuine pride. The 2022 edition was a memorable one, not just because of its historic ending. The early part of the final was disappointing as a spectacle before Trump made a fight of it. Before the last session of that year’s final, there was a procession of former champions. He was 25 and his great contemporaries, Higgins and Mark Williams, had already won the game’s most prized title. In snooker, it’s his mind that is tested to the full. Some in the sport complain that too many tournaments become the 'Ronnie O’Sullivan Show', but this really was.

O'Sullivan has now matched Stephen Hendry's record of seven world crowns but feels his game is still lacking.

I enjoy being on the circuit, I enjoy being on the road. I want to be known as someone who loves snooker and loves playing.” “I’m prepared to do that. “I don’t consider myself the greatest ever at all,” said O’Sullivan, who held off a valiant fightback by Trump having started the day with a seven-frame advantage. “All the other tournaments, why not? I don’t want to be considered the greatest.

Find out about snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan's partner Laila Rouass, plus his children from previous relationships.

So she’s graced me with a little window of her time. However, it appears the pair do not stay in contact. I’ll take her out for a pizza then drop her off so she can do more revision.’ A lot about his professional career is well known, but what about his family life? Peace and love to you all. Ronnie revealed as much in a 2019 chat with The Mirror, while Taylor-Ann slammed him in a 2020 interview with The Sun.

Stephen Hendry expects Ronnie O'Sullivan to go on to break his World Snooker Championship record, while Judd Trump thinks nine Crucible titles is within the ...

I think he’ll still be around for the next 10 years,’ I certainly think he’ll get to eight, I’m pretty positive of that, playing the snooker he’s still playing. He said he doesn’t look at the records but he’ll want to get eight. ‘OK he’s maybe not been put under the pressure but that’s because he’s played so well and has refused to let people put him under pressure. Absolutely. The way he’s dominated this World Championship from start to finish, it’s been an outstanding performance. That will be the aim – as simple as that.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's record-equalling reign at the top of his sport can inspire a new golden generation of snooker talent, according to the chairman of the ...

“I personally felt the situation was handled very well by Olivier, and I think Ronnie knows deep down that Olivier is one of the best referees in the world.” “Olivier Marteel spotted something that he felt he needed to warn Ronnie for, and he proceeded to warn Ronnie during the match, in the arena, which is the right thing to do,” Ferguson said. “But the key thing for me is to see these younger players competing against the great players, and that’s what’s going to help them going forward.”

Ronnie O'Sullivan is a unique seventh wonder of the sporting world after equalling Stephen Hendry's Crucible record in Sheffield, writes Desmond Kane.

A bit like Roger Federer in tennis, it is all at once both soothing and reassuring on the senses. The speed of thought and technique establishes O’Sullivan on a snooker plain as a spiritual experience with 1,169 century breaks and counting compiled. Boxing and figure skating are two sports that are settled on the views of judges for performance. A place for everything and everything in its place, so to speak. There is so much good stuff going on, if I lose it is a little dent whereas before it would be a write-off. Yet with O’Sullivan, a touch of farce is also never far away. Respectfully, the no-crowd is a massive leveller in my honest opinion." His trademark no-nonsense demeanour, stylish swagger and fearless shot making quickly dismissed any sense of a wobble. “Davis and Hendry did almost all of their stuff in a 10-year stint and that's it. To say O’Sullivan has made up for lost time in snooker would be an understatement. But Ronnie's shown up all the time, and he's dug as deep as anyone at this tournament. Accepted wisdom suggests he should no longer be burning blokes like Trump, but then again Father Time is also a huge fan of O’Sullivan doing his thing with a snooker cue.