RONNIE O’SULLIVAN ON WHY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS SNOOKER’S MAJOR TEST AS HE EYES MORE GLORY – ‘STANDS ALONE FOR INTENSITY’……..

The all-time great in snooker Ronnie O’Sullivan has won the world championship in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, and 2022, but he acknowledges that it is a difficult task to compete at the biggest event in the sport. “That is the one and only tournament which really stands alone for the atmosphere, for the intensity,” he stated. Watch the best snooker matches live at eurosport.com, the Eurosport app, and discovery+.

In recent times, a player’s performance in the self-dubbed ‘Triple Crown’ has come to represent the modern measure of snooker greatness, but Ronnie O’Sullivan is certain about what still stands as the ultimate test in the game.
Despite having won a record seven UK and Masters trophies in the last thirty years, O’Sullivan believes that the world championship held in April at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre presents the most difficult test of all.

Why would you do it, I ask myself when I consider what I’ve put myself through. On the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, O’Sullivan stated, “Most people would look at it and not do it.”
“The World Championships are the only tournament that truly stands alone for the atmosphere, for the intensity, and for the nerves it brings out in you when you are matched against another really good player, top-class player in a venue.”If you overthink or freeze while trying to play during that tense moment, the build-up could fool your mind and cause you to lapse from excellent form to poor form. It gets really challenging, and I don’t understand.

At the 47th edition of the Crucible competition, O’Sullivan was the favorite to win a record eighth Crucible crown. However, he dropped seven straight sets and was shocked to lose 13–10 to Luca Brecel in the quarterfinals. Brecel went on to win an 18–15 over Mark Selby in the final to win his first world title.
The 39-time winner of ranking events expressed disappointment with his play in Brecel’s loss, but he vows to step it up in the upcoming campaign as he pursues more success on the biggest stage of the sport.

“I believe that if I want it, I have three really good years. But that depends on whether I’m fully committed to it and say that snooker is all I’m going to do for three years, which I can do. It’s difficult if you want to do a few exhibitions, some days with Jimmy White as a pundit, because they’re fun,” O’Sullivan, the champion of last season’s Hong Kong Masters, said.
“I’m still capable of performing and finishing in the top eight. However, in order to truly give yourself the best chance, you have to be completely focused. I believe that this year, I will be ready to do that.

“I didn’t think the previous World Championship was a good competition. I was extremely disappointed in my performance. I was unhappy with my performance even though I knew that you lose, so I didn’t feel disappointed. “I want to try and put that right.”
At 47 years old, the world No. 1 believes he is at the top of his game because he can win matches by adjusting to any situation that arises.

I’ve always been willing to learn new things and improve as a player. I don’t rely on just one thing, and I think that makes me a better player than I ever was,” he remarked. “I’ve got three or four different options of surviving within a game and at any point I can switch, which just took time because I was never really the best at anything.”I was never much of a long potter. Not the best safety player, that’s me. Although it’s a great skill to have, my ability to make breaks and score quickly grew a little one-dimensional without the other elements.I’ve had to develop a lot of skills over the years, and I can now use them.

“However, I will never forget that in order to finish the job, I must be operating at full capacity, which means grabbing breaks quickly.”