If you’re going to take a shot at the king, you’d better not miss.
And let’s be clear, he still is the king, despite snooker possessing several authentic pretenders to the throne. Nobody does it quite like O’Sullivan. No other player has his presence or star power. No one else commands such attention and fascination.
His behaviour was exemplary all week, underlining his respect for the Shanghai Masters, which he has now won five times in total. The last time a player won the same event on four consecutive stagings was O’Sullivan himself at the Premier League in the 2000s.
His 11-9 defeat of Luca Brecel in the final ended in a nervy last frame but included moments of O’Sullivan magic amongst some more workmanlike frames. He wasn’t at his very best but he does not have to be to win. His resolve and patience bought him time in matches before he was able to produce the big breaks, a considerable weapon to have in his already formidable armoury.
This was his first tournament of the season, his first competitive outing since Brecel pulled off a barnstorming comeback to knock him out of the World Championship at the quarter-final stage.
Watch the moment O’Sullivan wins Shanghai Masters
There was some rustiness in his opening match in Shanghai against Ali Carter, but he got the job done 6-3.
He struggled badly for much of the quarter-final with John Higgins, who should have put him away when leading 5-2. Hanging on at 5-4, O’Sullivan found inspiration as back-to-back centuries got him over the line.
He grew strong again at the end of his semi-final with Mark Selby, once more ending with successive centuries to win 10-7 against a player who has inflicted on him several high-profile defeats.
In a thoroughly enjoyable final, the momentum seemed to have shifted Brecel’s way when he was poised to lead 8-7, but he failed to put the frame to bed and O’Sullivan made a dazzling 143 – the highest break of the tournament – followed by 120 to lead 10-7.
Brecel, who lived up to his world champion’s status all week, refused to yield but O’Sullivan eventually won the longest frame of the match, a 35-minute scrap, to earn a 77th professional title.
This was the start of his 32nd season on tour, a three-decade long soap opera which, like all the best continuing drama, shows no sign of ending.
So how long can he continue at the very highest level? Motivation may be a factor but at the moment there is no obvious reason why he cannot remain a major force into his 50s.
“I’ve played garbage for the last 18 months,” he said last week, a typical O’Sullivan overstatement, but as ever containing an element of truth. Since winning his seventh world title in May 2022 he has failed to get past the quarter-finals of a ranking event, so clearly his form has not been consistently strong enough in this period.
Yet he retains an aura that only the greats of sport possess. Every opponent knows what he’s capable of and understands that they will be playing the crowd as well as the man.
One factor in his favour going forward is a relative lack of authentic younger challengers. Brecel, at 28, is the only player under the age of 30 currently part of the elite top 16. Three of O’Sullivan’s four Shanghai opponents were, like him, in their 40s.
“A good young player should always beat a good old player,” O’Sullivan said last season. However, being good is not enough at the top level. You have to be exceptional to compete with established champions, whose experience is a major asset.
‘Truly magnificent’ – O’Sullivan hits highest break of Shanghai Masters to extend lead over Brecel
O’Sullivan is 48 in December but plays a young man’s game. He maintains an admirable level of physical fitness and has found ways of mitigating small declines in his game, always looking for tweaks in his action and unwilling to rest on his laurels.
He has had a love-hate relationship with snooker all his life but the many threats to walk away have come to nothing. The game is part of his DNA, something he has slowly come to accept. The challenge now as he approaches his sixth decade is to adapt to what may change, be it his eyesight, the varying playing conditions on a global tour or the approach of a changing cast of opponents.
He seems most likely to come good this season in environments like the one in Shanghai: a big venue, elite field, sizeable prize money and large crowds. However, he needs to get results in some of the lower key events to build up a store of ranking points which will gain him entry to the prestigious Players Series tournaments, which themselves carry points.
His 500,000 ranking points for winning the 2022 world title will be coming off at the end of the season. This leaves his projected ranking at the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign at an unthinkable 21st but there are still plenty of events to come before then for him to put that right.
Whatever he does, he remains snooker’s most watchable force. In Shanghai, he proved that if his attitude is good, his game does not need to be firing on all cylinders all of the time. He deserves more credit for his mental fortitude and sheer will to win.
O’Sullivan’s longevity is astounding. In his debut season he played Fred Davis, who had competed in the 1937 World Championship. Davis finally retired from professional snooker at the age of 78. It would be hard to imagine any player now still going in the pro ranks when pushing 80 but if anyone could do it…
How about another 30 years, Ronnie?
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