Ronnie O’Sullivan misses media launch as World Championship begins
Ronnie O’Sullivan has missed the traditional World Championship media launch as the tournament gets underway, reports BritPanorama.
Fourteen of the 16 seeds were present in Sheffield on Friday, but O’Sullivan and Judd Trump were absent from the Crucible photoshoot. Both snooker stars do not play until Tuesday, with the competition starting today, as Zhao Xintong, Mark Williams and Barry Hawkins are all in action.
Former world champion Shaun Murphy has criticized both O’Sullivan and Trump for their absence from the event. He noted, “It’s a real shame – and they probably could both have done a little bit more to help promote the game over the years.”
When questioned about whether the no-shows could damage the image of snooker, Murphy responded: “I don’t know about image problem. I think it might give those two a particular image problem. I think it might affect their image slightly.”
He pointed out that the absence of two of the biggest stars on the opening day, when everyone else made the effort to attend, is odd but ultimately a personal decision.
O’Sullivan, known as “The Rocket,” is seeking his eighth world title, which would put him clear of Stephen Hendry at the top of the all-time list. His first World Championship victory came in 2001, and he last won the title in 2022.
Murphy remarked, “I think it would be great for snooker if he did it. It would be great for him, obviously, to have the eight. It’s the story everybody wants to write. It would be an incredible achievement.”
As the tournament unfolds, O’Sullivan is set to play his first-round match against He Guoqiang in the afternoon session on Tuesday. A victory would earn him a matchup versus either John Higgins or Ali Carter, who has previously expressed he does not want to face O’Sullivan in the Crucible.
Murphy emphasized that while O’Sullivan may not come into this tournament as the clear favorite, he still looks sharp and capable. “He looks as good as ever from where I can see,” he stated, noting O’Sullivan’s recent semi-final appearance last year, which ended in defeat to Xintong, who became the first Chinese player to lift the trophy.
This year’s championship continues amid a mixture of excitement and controversy, showcasing the complexities of personal decisions at high-stakes events. In snooker, as in sport at large, the nuances of competition often reveal as much about the players as the game itself.
