Before the start of the first round of the 2024 World Snooker Championship, Ronnie O'Sullivan, the current world No. 1 seven-time champion of the tournament, said that he did not consider himself the greatest snooker player of all time, but after winning the first round, his mood was more optimistic. He added: "Doing everything I can this season is the number of steps I've taken throughout my career. I've been doing this for 30 years. My career is the greatest of all snooker players. ”
O'Sullivan defeated Jackson Page 10-1 to get off to a flying start in his quest for a record-breaking eighth World Championship title.
"Rocket" also said, "How many people can say that they are the best or most successful ever at work? I really have to pat myself on the back because I'm not like that, I'm myself." Statistically, no one has come close to what I have achieved on the stats table. ”
In an interview with BBC Channel 2 on the 25th local time, the first seven-time World Championship winner in history and snooker legend Hendry, O'Sullivan will benefit from the fact that some seeded players have been eliminated and may sweep the entire season. This season, O'Sullivan has already won the British Championship and the Masters, and he is only one World Championship champion away from sweeping the three major snooker tournaments in a single season.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is chasing his eighth World Title and 24th World Triple Championship
Hendry believes that O'Sullivan is the favorite to win the World Championships, "Ronnie always beats the people who should have beaten them when he should have beaten them. Then he did not hesitate to reach the finish line. It's something you can't teach, you either have it or you don't. Two players who have beaten him in the semi-finals this season, Mark Williams and Anda Zhang (at this World Championships), both suffered a first-round out. There is also Judd Trump, who and Ronnie are expected to meet in the semifinals, but Trump has not beaten Ronnie since 2020. ”
"Billiards Emperor" Hendry
Jackson Page, who lost 1:10 to world No. 43 Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round of this World Championships, added: "There is an aura around Ronnie, you can feel it. He just puts you in a position that a lot of people can't do – it's a nightmare. Everyone knows he can score and play a streak of attacks, all the players can do it, but his safe ball is probably the best on the tour so far, but no one notices it because his attacking firepower is so strong. ”