Stephen Hendry sees Ronnie O'Sullivan GOAT judgement endorsed as the Rocket reprieved for missing tournaments
Ronnie O'Sullivan is still the best snooker player in the world, according to Stephen Hendry.
The Rocket has enjoyed a rollercoaster year, winning The Masters and defeating number one seed Judd Trump in the World Grand Prix, but also admitting that he had fallen out of love with the sport prior to linking up with new coach Lee Walker. That has sparked an upturn in performances, with 49-year-old O'Sullivan saying: "The last time I enjoyed playing snooker like I have done the last couple of months was when I was 14," and revealing that he wanted to keep competing for another decade.
And speaking on his Cue Tips podcast, seven time world champion Stephen Hendry believes that O'Sullivan is still the best player in the sport - despite now picking and choosing which events he turns up in. Talking to ex-pro turned commentator Dominic Dale, Hendry said: "Do you think that his competitive sort of spirit is on the wane then if he just picks the best tournaments that he’s going to be up for?"
Dale replied: "I think that Ronnie just picks and chooses the tournaments he wants to work harder for. There are certain tournaments he doesn’t fancy. There are too many and you can’t be up for everything. There are so many tournaments on the calendar, you’ve got to prioritise a little bit otherwise you’d just be flat burn out. You’d be shattered emotionally. You’ve got to prioritise tournaments that mean more to you than other ones might."
When asked if O'Sullivan still has the bottle for the highest level, Hendry replied: "Ronnie wants to have the set of 8, 8, 8 (Masters, UK Championships and World Championships). I think he’s playing brilliantly. At his best I do think that he’s still the best."
Dale added: "If someone like yourself is asked who do you think the greatest player of all time is, and you say Ronnie O’Sullivan then you know it’s right don’t you? That’s a fact."
O'Sullivan left Scottish fans gutted earlier this month when he pulled out of the Scottish Open in Edinburgh at the 11th hour, explaining: "They say you could be on at 8.30 but you get on at 11. It’s a nine-hour journey from my house to Edinburgh. You weigh it all up and think you can’t be bothered. 10-15 years ago I’d probably have been fine but I can’t play every tournament or every week. I try and play a minimum of 10 and I pick the best 10 to play in and then after that if I feel like I need to play in a few more I will.
"In Saudi Arabia, the events we’ve had have been brilliant. Food, dressing rooms, shower rooms, loads of practice tables, courtesy cards, it was amazing. Same in China. It’s so much easier if you’ve got 128 players and only three or four practice tables you can’t even get a knock."
