Stephen Hendry says it would be plain “stupid” to dismiss Ronnie O’Sullivan’s chances at the UK Championship.
While acknowledging that The Rocket’s powers are waning, Scottish legend Hendry insists the Englishman is still snooker’s best player – if he hits top form. After all, it’s been less than a year since O’Sullivan clinched his eighth titles at both the UK Championship and Masters. That took his overall Triple Crown tally to a mighty 23.
While an elusive eighth world title continues to elude him, fellow seven-time Crucible king Hendry believes that O’Sullivan could still achieve more major tournament success if he can recapture some of his former brilliance.
“On his day, when he plays his best, he’s still the best player in the world,” Hendry told the Mirror ahead of the tournament, where he will be providing expert analysis for the BBC.
“But those unbelievable performances are becoming fewer and farther between. It would be stupid to write him off because if he plays at his best, he will do it [win the big tournaments]. But there’s no doubt it’s going to get harder the older he gets.”
Addressing the immense competition in today’s game, Hendry added: “You’ve got Judd Trump, who’s turning into a winning machine, and Kyren Wilson is having an incredible season as world champion.
“There’s so many great players out there. If Ronnie plays his best, he probably still is the best player, but he doesn’t do it that often.”
Hendry, who hung up his cue for the final time earlier this year, suggests that O’Sullivan’s competitive edge may have been blunted due to age and various outside interests, like his new academy in Saudi Arabia.
“He’s always looked at other things beyond [competitive] snooker,” said Hendry. “He’s got an academy in Saudi Arabia, he does a lot of exhibitions in China which makes him a lot of money. So maybe the competitive side is not as high up in his priorities as it used to be.
“It’s going to be interesting to see if he apples himself to tournaments like the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship.”
As the defending champion and top seed, O’Sullivan is set to kick off the tournament at 1pm on Saturday, when he will face Barry Hawkins, who came through qualifying.
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