The latest news on January 2, 2022, Beijing time, six-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan insisted when talking about "Wizard" John Higgins that the latter is the best defensive player in snooker history, even the first person after the 80s Mark Selby is beyond his reach. In as many as 75 encounters between O'Sullivan and Higgins, O'Sullivan has fallen under Higgins' rod many times, and defense and patience are undoubtedly O'Sullivan's biggest losses. Technically, O'Sullivan's defensive level is the most important reason why he has difficulty beating Higgins. Objectively speaking, O'Sullivan's defensive level is also very high, but his defensive level is still far behind when he plays against Higgins.
O'Sullivan: Higgins defensively no. 1 in history
In the eyes of O'Sullivan, the first man in history, Higgins is his best opponent, so he clearly knows the level of his opponent. O'Sullivan said: "There is no doubt that Higgins is definitely the best defensive player in snooker history and I don't think anyone can be his opponent in this regard. Maybe you think Selby's level is high, but I want to tell you that Selby's peak defensive level is still suppressed by Higgins. That's something I can see, and when you actually play against Higgins, you can see how terrifying his defense is. He could completely replicate the snooker he had made, and that ability was the most terrifying. Because even the same line, the vast majority of players can not be copied, this is his charm. So I think he's defensively number one in history. ”
O'Sullivan: Higgins was very talented
Higgins' talent isn't great to many, but O'Sullivan doesn't think so. O'Sullivan said: "Higgins' talent is definitely one of the best, it's just that his talent is not manifested in terms of offensive firepower. His talent is manifested in the calculation and defense of the line, which may be a very difficult thing for the average person, but these things are very simple in Higgins's view. You can clearly calculate which point the mother ball returns to by which positions in the bullet library, and he can even specify it to milliseconds. This style of play is very smart, but it also tests the level of talent of the players. When I'm playing, I probably can't calculate that much because I can only judge a rough approximation, and he can be precise, and that's the difference between our defensive levels. When you're in good shape, you probably won't see much of a gap. But when everyone is not in great shape, you will know how much advantage Higgins has. ”
O'Sullivan: Higgins is the best opponent
Although O'Sullivan has faced many strong opponents since his career, he still believes that Higgins is the best opponent. O'Sullivan said: "If you ask me who is the best opponent in my career, then I will definitely tell you that he is Higgins. He's played with him too many times, and if I remember correctly, he's probably the player I've played the most. I never dared to be careless in front of him because you know what level he is and how he will face the game. If you're a little distracted, you're probably going to lose the game, and that's what it's like to be a Higgins game. Playing against other players, you may not feel that way, even if you are behind, you will still tell yourself that you have a good chance of winning the game. But when you confront Higgins, none of this will happen again. He's the best opponent I've met in my career and I'll give it my all as long as I face him. He was the only player I had to give my all to win the game, and I enjoyed playing with him, after all, it was not easy to meet such an opponent in my career, and I cherished that kind of game. ”