{"id":3618,"date":"2024-04-16T09:48:59","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T09:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3618"},"modified":"2024-04-16T09:48:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T09:48:59","slug":"steve-davis-on-ronnie-osullivan-i-had-an-x-factor-but-hes-xxx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3618","title":{"rendered":"Steve Davis on Ronnie O’Sullivan: I had an X Factor but he’s XXX"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan is yet again favourite to win the World Championship (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Steve Davis once ruled the world of snooker but has no complaints over Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan now sitting the baize throne, saying: \u2018He\u2019s the closest I\u2019ve ever seen to the ceiling of what is humanly possibly.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Nugget won six World Championship titles during his pomp in the \u201980s before Stephen Hendry rose to prominence in the \u201990s and now the Rocket\u2019s epic 30-year flight at the top of the game has cemented his position as the GOAT.<\/p>\n

Comparing the champions of any sport across decades is always tough, with games, conditions and the world as a whole evolving.<\/p>\n

However, Davis does feel there is something more than a little special about O\u2019Sullivan that sets him apart from anyone who has ever lifted a cue.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s so hard to try and judge eras because each era does benefit from the standard of previous eras,\u2019 Davis told Metro<\/strong>. \u2018That\u2019s the evolution of the species, so to speak. <\/p>\n

\u2018I think what would be fascinating is if all the multiple champions in the snooker world had all been born at the same time. That would be fascinating.<\/p>\n

\u2018But I do think Ronnie is on another wavelength. It\u2019s not just because he\u2019s a great player, there\u2019s something else going on. <\/p>\n

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Steve Davis first played the Rocket as a teenager back in 1993 (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve said before, he\u2019s the only player where I\u2019d like to know what pictures he\u2019s seeing. I\u2019d love to know if he sees the game the same way as I did when I was behind the shot and summing it up. If he\u2019s something like Tommy the Pinball Wizard, as if he\u2019s more at one with the table and sort of organically tied to it more than other people. That for me is why he\u2019s the ultimate genius we\u2019ve ever had.\u2019<\/p>\n

The 66-year-old is certainly not dismissing the other legends of the game, including himself, but admits that the Rocket is nearer to snooker perfection than any of his rivals.<\/p>\n

\u2018Obviously others on their day can beat anybody,\u2019 said the iconic cueist. \u2018John Higgins on his day, Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry, me on my day, anybody can beat anybody, but I still think he\u2019d have his nose in front at the very least.<\/p>\n

\u2018He\u2019s got the X Factor above us. We all had an X Factor but he\u2019s got more, he\u2019s XXX!<\/p>\n

\u2018If anybody had come from another planet to take it to another level, that would be Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan. It\u2019s hard to think how anybody could really have any more talent than Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan. He\u2019s the closest I\u2019ve ever seen to the ceiling of what is humanly possibly.\u2019<\/p>\n

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O\u2019Sullivan has won five titles this season as he continues to rule the sport (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 48-year-old heads to Sheffield this year looking to win a record-breaking eighth Crucible title and Davis says it will take something special to stop him doing just that, although pressure will be weighing heavily on the greatest cue arm in the game.<\/p>\n

\u2018Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan has such a good B Game, even though some people don\u2019t think that of Ronnie,\u2019 said Davis. \u2018He\u2019s got a fantastic temperament for playing great snooker. <\/p>\n

\u2018It always takes a great performance to knock Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan out of an event. If you show weakness he becomes stronger. It takes the performance of say Mark Williams last week [in the Tour Championship final] or Luca Brecel last year, pulling rabbits out of a hat for the whole match.<\/p>\n

\u2018There will be a lot of expectation on him winning the eighth. If anyone can handle the pressure put on his shoulders then he can, but it still makes it slightly more difficult because of the expectation levels. <\/p>\n

\u2018Not that he\u2019s worried so much about what people think about things, but even from friends and family and people around him, he\u2019ll get a sense of, will he do it? Can he do it?\u2019<\/p>\n

The World Championship begins on Saturday, with O\u2019Sullivan getting his campaign underway on Wednesday 24 April.<\/p>\n

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\n\tMORE : \u2018It was a crazy thing to do\u2019 \u2013 Luca Brecel looks back on wild World Championship win
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\n\tMORE : Judd Trump wants Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan \u2018final showdown\u2019 at World Snooker Championship
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