Ronnie O’Sullivan discusses the evolving landscape of snooker
Ronnie O’Sullivan believes snooker has entered an era in which no single player will dominate the sport, insisting that the competitive depth across the tour has grown too strong for anyone to replicate the supremacy once enjoyed by Steve Davis or Stephen Hendry, reports BritPanorama.
Speaking ahead of his 50th birthday on Friday, the seven-time world champion offered an unusually modest assessment of his own standing, placing himself in what he described as a “third tier” of current contenders.
The observation comes during a season that has produced 11 winners from 11 tournaments, an unprecedented spread that O’Sullivan views as evidence of a landscape in permanent flux. He stated, “I think it’s always good to have a dominant player. But now the standard is so high in snooker, I just think it won’t happen. You know, I don’t think there’s any player that’s head and shoulders above everyone else.”
He outlined what he sees as a multi-layered hierarchy within the sport. “You’ve probably got, at the moment, three or four tiers. You’ve got Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson, probably the best two players in the world,” he explained. “Maybe put Neil Robertson and Mark Selby in there, too, because they’ve had good seasons. Then you’ve got like Mark Williams, possibly John Higgins. Who else is there? Maybe Shaun Murphy, he’s been doing well. He’s looking strong.”
O’Sullivan categorizes these players in what he calls a “second tier”, while he ranks himself and others, such as Barry Hawkins and Ding Junhui, in the “third tier.” Despite close margins across the circuit, he argued that daily form ultimately dictates who advances in tournaments. “I think there are levels, where you’d say: ‘Well, these are probably better than these and these are probably better than those.’ But there’s not a lot in it. You know, it’s just on the day maybe,” he said.
Notably, his tier system omits Zhao Xintong, the 28-year-old Chinese player who recently claimed the £250,000 Riyadh Season Championship after winning 13 of 20 frames. Asked about this omission, O’Sullivan remarked, “Oh, Zhao, I’d probably put him in the third tier with me, probably somewhere like that. I definitely wouldn’t put him in Judd and Kyren’s level at the moment. Would you put him in Selby’s? Well, he hasn’t done it enough, consistently.”
O’Sullivan is preparing to face Zhou Yuelong in the last 32 of the UK Championship on Tuesday, a tournament he holds in particularly high regard. With eight titles to his name, dating back to his first in 1993, he considers the event more enjoyable than the World Championship due to its shorter format. “The UK Championship is definitely one of my favourite tournaments. Obviously, it was the first major that I won,” he stated.
Reflecting on the event’s significance, he noted, “I have always liked where they have played it. York is a great city. It’s got that special feeling about it, the history, Steve Davis and Hendry. It was always an important tournament just behind the World Championship. In many ways, it’s got the prestige of a World Championship, but without the intensity of 17 days. It’s just a week. A week of playing but it’s still a special, special tournament, you know.”
O’Sullivan’s insights highlight a notable shift in the sport’s dynamics compared to five years ago when he dismissed the emerging generation as “not even amateur” level. His evolving view reflects a growing recognition of the talent permeating the circuit, underscoring the competitive nature of contemporary snooker.
With the next generation of players rising to challenge the established elite, the question remains whether O’Sullivan can continue to compete at the highest level while adapting to the relentless pace of change within the sport.
