Ronnie O’Sullivan has returned “full circle” and is now more concerned with winning than with his performance. According to Stephen Hendry, an old opponent of his, the Rocket is stronger than ever. He has sent a strong warning to the snooker world.
Earlier this month, O’Sullivan won an unprecedented ninth UK Championship title. He closed a remarkable chapter in his remarkable career by defeating Ding Junhui in the York final.
For the Rocket, who faced several close calls during the competition, it wasn’t easy. Hendry feels that the fact that he completed the task makes him an even more formidable foe.
“There were two or three times in the week when he could, and perhaps should have lost,” the Scot stated on the WST podcast. What he does today, and this is really amazing, is that he wins by doing just enough.
He used to talk about a time in the past when his performances were more important to him than the outcome. It has now, in a sense, come full circle. Now, achieving the victories matters more than the performances.
Which makes him a considerably riskier option. He had two or three opportunities to lose during the week, but he didn’t play to his full potential.”
In the end, Hendry felt O’Sullivan was a defeated man. But he asserts that the 48-year-old displayed an aspect of his play that makes
Hendry added: “I must confess when it went to 7-7 in the final, I thought Ding was going to win, but Ronnie then made a century. He just found a gear at the right time, and that’s what the great champions do.
“He did say he wasn’t playing his best, but qualified that by saying he was trying to his best to get the result. And that makes him so much tougher to beat for the rest of them.”
Hendry praised O’Sullivan’s cue motion as well, saying that his unique technique makes him stand out from other players. He went on: “I think his cue action is excellent. He makes it through and hits the cue ball with elegance.
There is a lot of movement that is not traditional before he hits the cue ball, if you look attentively. However, Donald Trump is undoubtedly not a textbook case; you couldn’t teach that and you wouldn’t alter it.
“[Neil] Robertson is arguably the gold standard in snooker technique. However, Ronnie has control over the cue ball. If you had a serious technical issue, you couldn’t accomplish it.
“Even Ronnie misses the pots. Most of the time, cueing a pot incorrectly or for some other reason is the reason you miss it.
