Ronnie O'Sullivan's legendary aura of invincibility may be a thing of the past, according to snooker pundits, as he prepares for the China Open this weekend.
Decline in dominance
The 50-year-old, a seven-time world champion, has not won a ranking event since January 2024, and his last professional triumph of any kind came in March of that year. Despite this, he remains among the world's elite, reaching two major ranking finals last season and producing moments of brilliance, including two 147s in one match against Chris Wakelin at the Saudi Arabia Masters and a world record break of 153 against Ryan Day at the World Open.
However, his latest season began with a quarter-final exit at the Shanghai Masters last week, losing to Kyren Wilson. Although O'Sullivan produced a burst of three consecutive centuries, he could not sustain that form or intimidate his opponent.
Pundits weigh in
Steven Hallworth, a commentator and world number 75, believes the "fear factor is gone" for O'Sullivan. Speaking on WST's Snooker Club podcast, Hallworth said: "I think he's probably just lacking that edge now. That fear factor is gone, really, for Ronnie. You look at that little spell against Kyren, three centuries in a row. I think gone are the years now of Ronnie doing that against somebody and the player just completely collapsing, wilting and just falling aside. The players are used to seeing that. They're seeing that day-in-day-out in practice and in qualifiers. It's not uncommon now and the response comes, eventually, from the other guys. I just think that edge is lacking."
Dave Hendon, commentator and author of "Pots of Gold: A History of Snooker," echoes this sentiment but insists O'Sullivan's game remains strong enough to win more titles. "I wouldn't rule out him winning more tournaments," Hendon said on the Snooker Scene x Talking Snooker Special. "He's certainly not done at the top level, he can produce these bursts of frames. I think what has changed, a bit of the aura has gone in terms of the fear factor. It's still an occasion playing him, but players are no longer beaten before they start. Even top players maybe 10 years ago, it felt like they were a few frames down before they started against him. I think that has changed. But if he can find a high level for a sustained period then he can win any tournament. Last season John Higgins was getting to final, Mark Williams won a tournament, these guys are very special."
Signs of fragility
O'Sullivan still shows flashes of his old dominance, such as his 10-2 demolition of debutant He Guoqiang in the first round of the World Championship in April. Yet his next match, a 13-12 loss to John Higgins after leading 9-4, revealed a fragility that has crept into his game.
He now has the chance to return to winning ways at the China Open, which starts on Saturday. O'Sullivan begins his campaign against Jackson Page on Sunday at 12:30pm UK time.
