Ronnie O'Sullivan
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| File:England flag.svg | |
| Personal Information | |
| Date of birth | December 5, 1975 |
| Nicknames | The Twat, The Essex Exocet |
| Nationality | English |
| Career | |
| Professional | 1992–current |
| 2005/6 World Ranking | 1 |
| Best World Ranking | 1 (3 years) |
| World Championship Best | Winner (2 times) |
| Highest Break | 147 (6 times) |
| Ranking Tournament Wins: 18 | |
| World Championship | 2001, 2004 |
| UK Championship | 1993, 1997, 2001 |
| British Open | 1994 |
| German Open | 1996 |
| Players Championships | 1998, 2000 |
| China Open | 1996, 1999, 2000 |
| European Open | 2003 |
| Irish Masters | 2003, 2005 |
| Welsh Open | 2004, 2005 |
| totesport Grand Prix | 2004 |
| Other Tournaments Wins | |
| Benson & Hedges Masters | 1995, 2005 |
| Irish Masters | 2001 |
Ronnie O'Sullivan (born 5 December, 1975) is a professional snooker player. His fast play has earned him the official nickname "The Rocket", with unofficial monikers including "The Essex Exocet" and "The Magician". He is considered by many of his peers and snooker fans as the most naturally-talented player in the history of the sport.
O'Sullivan started his career at an early age. He first achieved a century at the age of 10, scored a 147 maximum break when at just 15, and turned professional at 16. He recorded the youngest ever victory in a ranking tournament when he won the 1993 UK Championship aged 17.
As a naturally talented but temperamental player, O'Sullivan comes from the same mould as Alex Higgins and Jimmy White.
O'Sullivan's personal life has been well documented. His father is serving a life sentence for murder. Considered a perfectionist, O'Sullivan suffers from bipolar disorder, and has suffered from various addictions. He is publicly highly self-critical - even in victory.
His career has thus not been without difficulties. After winning the 1998 Benson & Hedges Irish Masters, he was stripped of his title after a drugs test found marijuana in his system. He also has an uneasy relationship with the press, with some of his comments considered ungracious. In 2004, O'Sullivan's father called 1970s master player and six times World Champion Ray Reardon and asked that he give O'Sullivan some advice. With Reardon's backing, O'Sullivan came into top form and claimed the 2004 World Snooker Championship, famously humiliating Stephen Hendry 17-4 in the semi-final with a virtuoso display.
O'Sullivan is unique amongst the current ranks of top snooker professionals in that he can play with the cue in either his right or left hand - frequently alternating between the two within the same frame. Whilst he lacks power in his left arm, the ambidextrous angle to his game has proved to be a boon, allowing him to more naturally take on shots which would otherwise require awkward cueing with rest or spider.
When he first displayed this gift in the World Championships against Alain Robidoux, the Canadian accused him of disrespect. O'Sullivan responded that he played better with his left hand than Robidoux could with his right. He has subsequently commented several times that switching to his left hand helps him retain his focus and provides him with extra motivation, both of which have often been found wanting in his prodigious game.
He holds the record for the fastest recorded maximum break, made whilst playing Mick Price in the World Snooker Championship on 21 April 1997; he completed the clearance in 5 minutes and 20 seconds - an average of one shot every 9 seconds. In fact, his six maximum breaks include the five fastest on record.
O'Sullivan's home club is the Grove Snooker Centre, situated in Romford, East London.
After failing to defend his 2004 World Championship title - losing in his quarter-final, after being 8-2 up, to an exceptionally determined and dogged performance by Peter Ebdon (with many observers accusing Ebdon of deliberate slow play to disrupt O'Sullivan's fast game) - he indicated to the press that he was unlikely to compete in the following season, and perhaps even retire from the sport altogether. However in September 2005 he announced that he would play a truncated 2005/6 season, and spend some time playing eight ball pool in the USA after being chosen to compete on the elite International Pool Tour.
It transpired however that the IPT pool tournament in which O'Sullivan was to make his debut clashed with the defence of his Premier League Snooker title. Plans were changed accordingly, with the Essex man going on to thrash old rival Stephen Hendry (in possibly his worst-ever performance) 6-0 with four century breaks. He went on to compete in the Grand Prix, losing the final to John Higgins, and the UK Championship, losing to Mark King in his first match, and has confirmed he will play in two more ranking events, the China Open and World Championship. He competed in the 2006 Masters Tournament, advancing to the final where he lost 10-9 to John Higgins. Some good came of the loss, as Ronnie compiled the highest break of the tournament with 139, beating the next highest break, held by his old rival Peter Ebdon, by a solitary point.