December 11th 2024.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, the legendary snooker player, has had a difficult season so far. But despite his struggles, there is still a chance that it could end on a high note. For someone who has set such high standards, Ronnie's recent performances have been below par. He has not managed to reach a final yet this season and has suffered two consecutive defeats in the opening rounds of the Champion of Champions and the UK Championship. Additionally, he chose not to participate in the Northern Ireland Open and the Scottish Open, resulting in only two match wins since September. These wins came at the International Championship, but he faced defeat against Pang Junxu last month. It's safe to say that it has been a rough few months for Ronnie, more like an old engine struggling to come to life instead of the smooth, exceptional play we're used to seeing from him.
Ronnie's struggles were evident even at the beginning of the season when he played at the English Open in Brentwood. He was visibly unhappy with his game after losing in the first round to He Guoqiang. "I'm awful, it's embarrassing. I miss so many balls. I can't get away from it, poor, but there's nothing I can do about it," he said. "I've been missing balls for the last four or five years and every now and then I'll miss a few less, maybe, and get a couple of results. I haven't got long, I'm not going to deny it, I'm not playing well enough, there's no point in even worrying about it."
It's clear that Ronnie was frustrated early on in the season, but he refocused and made a return at the International Championship. Despite putting in the work on the practice table and teaming up with coach Lee Walker, he has yet to see the desired results. However, he remained positive and told Eurosport ahead of the UK Championship, "After the World Championship, I was in China, I was away for a month. Then straight into Shanghai, straight into Saudi Arabia. I didn't really have a break. I took my break from September to October. I had two months where I didn't pick a cue up, just relaxed, kind of enjoyed myself. I just started practicing maybe two or three weeks ago. Went to Nanjing played, came back, played in the Champion of Champions and then the UK Championship. I would have liked to have played more, to be honest with you, I would have liked to have had some more match practice, but I wasn't prepared to continuously play, especially after I've had a busy time. It doesn't matter. Still a long season to go, still a lot of tournaments to play. When it comes, it comes. It might not come, who knows?"
Despite his recent struggles, Ronnie is still ranked number four in the world. His ranking may not reflect his current form, but it's a testament to his incredible career and past successes. Even though he didn't have the best run at the UK Championship, he looked like he was close to finding his rhythm. This was also evident at the Champion of Champions, where he narrowly lost 4-3 to Xiao Guodong in a fantastic match. So while Ronnie may not be at his unbeatable best, his performances in these tournaments were not a cause for concern for his fans.
Fellow seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry is not worried about Ronnie's form either. In fact, he believes that Ronnie will win at least one of the upcoming invitational events - the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship and the Masters. "I think there's no problem with the desire in these big events and he's working hard on his game," Hendry said on WST's Snooker Club podcast. "I think he'll win either Saudi Arabia or the Masters. He could win both! He's got huge involvement over there [Saudi Arabia] now with his academy. He'll be really up for that one. The Masters is his backyard, he's won eight of those, the crowd love him. He'll be up for that. I think he'll definitely win one of those events, he could win both of them but I think he'll win one of them."
Next year, Ronnie will be defending his title at the Masters, which is another opportunity for him to showcase his skills. While Hendry may not be worried about Ronnie's recent struggles, it's easy to forget that he was winning titles just last season. He won five titles and went into the World Championship as the favorite to win it. Had it not been for a strange game against Stuart Bingham in the quarter-finals, he may have won his eighth world title. Ronnie also started this season strong with semi-final appearances at the Shanghai Masters and Xi-an Grand Prix, followed by a quarter-final appearance at the Saudi Arabia Masters. These performances have helped him maintain his position at number 17 on the one-year ranking list.
To turn his season around, Ronnie will need to secure a spot in the World Grand Prix, Players Championship, and Tour Championship, which feature the top 32, 16, and 12 players on the one-year list, respectively. The Grand Prix in March is already confirmed, so he only needs a few wins before and during the event to make it to the Players Championship. And with one deep run, he can secure a spot in the Tour Championship. The German Masters is coming up in January, a tournament that Ronnie usually doesn't participate in. However, the Welsh Open and World Open, which follow the German Masters, offer enough ranking points for Ronnie to make a comeback if he is motivated enough to win them.
Even though Ronnie's partnership with Lee Walker hasn't produced immediate results, it's a sign that he is determined to succeed. His performances at the Champion of Champions and UK Championship were good enough to win matches and secure a spot in the one-year list events. From there, it's only a matter of time until he finds his rhythm and starts winning again. The top performers of the season so far, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson, along with other talented players, will be tough opponents for Ronnie. But he has overcome challenges like these many times before. And then, of course, there's the World Championship in April, the ultimate opportunity for Ronnie to make this season a successful one and claim his eighth title. There's a good chance that he will still achieve this, regardless of what happens in the coming months. After all, he took an entire year off before winning the 2013 World Championship. And his two most recent Crucible wins, in 2020 and 2022, were not after particularly successful seasons, yet he still walked away with the trophy. So there's no doubt that Ronnie has the ability to turn this season around. And while there are questions about when he will start to decline as he nears 50, anyone who is writing him off at this stage is jumping to conclusions.
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