Will Ronnie O'Sullivan win the World Championships again? Two legendary players, Ken Dahdi and Alain McManus, gave a relatively positive answer.
Text / Philip Hague, Metro
Ronnie O'Sullivan reached the round of 16 at this year's World Championships, ending his title-defense at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield early and missing his first chance to tie Stephen Hendry's seven-crown record. He won his sixth World Championship title here last year, tied with Steve Davis but still behind Hendry.
However, in the eyes of McManus and Dahdi, O'Sullivan's seven world championships is a very reliable prediction. Although the Rockets are 45 years old and time doesn't seem to be on his side, he is still the closest active player to Hendry's record.
1997 world champion Mahdi said he never felt this year was a year for Ronnie, but he was bound to achieve the record in the future. Dahdi said: "I am not very bullish on Ronnie O'Sullivan this year, he has experienced several crushing defeats in the final this season, the last time Neil Robertson frustrates his confidence with a very convincing performance. ”
Dahdi
"Everyone has experienced frustration, and this is something that happens to everyone, and this time it was Anthony McGill who played brilliantly (eliminated O'Sullivan in the round of 16). But I do really want him to win a seventh title, he still has two or three years to go, and I think he'll make it happen. I also think his seventh crown is deserved, and no one will disapprove of him except that Hendry will be upset. ”
McManus is not confident that O'Sullivan will win the World Championship again, but he believes O'Sullivan has a definite chance of achieving this in the next five years. "He can do it, there are people I definitely don't sing down, this guy always comes back to the top, too many times," McManus said, "I said a week before he played Against Anthony [McGill], and Anthony was one of the most competitive players." ”
"He's a constant learner, I don't think he's a fluke, a close-score game for me speaks for itself. I think Ronnie's best level is in the later stages of the tournament, maybe he's more targeted in the early stages. He's lost to Stuart Bingham, Ali Carter, James Cahill all these years, all great players who need to find a way to get into late in the tournament and then exude his charm and strength. ”
McManus
"Once he hits the single-table stage, that's where he casts his magic, like he did against Mark Selby in the semi-finals last year, when the situation changed 14-16, no one can catch up, he can. Given his style of play, I don't think he can play as high as the others for as long as he does, and he likes to play in a creative way, short and fast, so that he can enjoy it. ”
'He's not like the other players who will die and won't fight to the end, but still, he still has a chance to win the title, definitely five years away."
O'Sullivan pop-up shop
O'Sullivan often mentions his love of snooker off the field, such as running, various businesses, and he opened a pop-up shop of the same name in Meadowwhall, Sheffield, selling snooker peripherals related to him. McManus believes that this kind of thing is good for O'Sullivan, which will increase his stickiness with the sport and improve his chances of achieving more good results.
McManus said: "I was talking to him in the practice room a week ago and he seemed to be in really good spirits, I always wanted to know how he was doing, he had a great time, he was happy for him. ”