‘Aggressive person’ – I was intimidated to face Ronnie O’Sullivan, he was frightening

On paper, a match against Ronnie O’Sullivan is an incredibly daunting prospect for any snooker star. But what is it actually like to come up against ‘The Rocket’? Ronnie O’Sullivan has been described by a rival as ‘very intimidating’ to playGetty Well, according to 1997 Grand Prix champion Dominic Dale, it is not fun at all. In fact, the Welshman went as far as describing O’Sullivan as ‘a very aggressive person’ who can ‘really embarrass’ his rivals during an episode of the Snooker Scene podcast. “Ronnie’s the only player that I can ever say I found intimidating to play against,” Dale said. “Not just his style of play, because he can wipe you off the table in no time. It’s just because he’s such a character. “He’s a very aggressive person, Ronnie. In life generally, as well as on the table, and you feel that. It comes through when you’re playing him and you’re sat in your chair. “If you make a mistake and he makes an 80-odd [break] in no time at all, it is frightening. “You think, ‘Jeez, I can do this on the practice table, probably at half the speed, but I’m never likely to play with this much freedom in a match’, and he can really embarrass you.” Dale’s perspective on O’Sullivan comes from 12 contests against the seven-time world champion, with the pair both turning professional in 1992. Unfortunately for the Welshman, he has tasted victory just once against ‘The Rocket’. Dale, who last played O’Sullivan at the 2021 Scottish Open, added the 49-year-old can flip a switch to instantly make ‘a difficult game look impossible’. GettyDale believes O’Sullivan can turn a match in his favour almost instantly[/caption] It is one of O’Sullivan’s many traits that make him ‘very intimidating’ to face. Unfortunately fans haven’t been able to see as much of O’Sullivan’s dominance on the baize as they would have liked this year. Since he withdrew from the Championship League in early January, an event where he snapped his cue in frustration, O’Sullivan has been a major absence from the snooker circuit. He pulled out of the Masters before he was due to play longtime rival John Higgins and has subsequently withdrawn from the Welsh Open, the German Masters and the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong. O’Sullivan’s withdrawal from the World Grand Prix was due to medical reasons. Snooker fans will hope O’Sullivan is fit and willing to feature at the World Snooker Championships, which is the next event on the calendar he is eligible to compete in. Fans are hoping the 49-year-old will return to action at the World Snooker ChampionshipsGetty This year’s World Snooker Championships kicks off on April 19 at the Crucible. Should O’Sullivan win the tournament, it would make him the outright leader for the most world titles with eight. The 49-year-old’s haul of seven is a modern-era record he shares with Stephen Hendry.

Mar 9, 2025 - 16:16

‘Aggressive person’ – I was intimidated to face Ronnie O’Sullivan, he was frightening

On paper, a match against Ronnie O’Sullivan is an incredibly daunting prospect for any snooker star.

But what is it actually like to come up against ‘The Rocket’?

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been described by a rival as ‘very intimidating’ to play

Well, according to 1997 Grand Prix champion Dominic Dale, it is not fun at all.

In fact, the Welshman went as far as describing O’Sullivan as ‘a very aggressive person’ who can ‘really embarrass’ his rivals during an episode of the Snooker Scene podcast.

“Ronnie’s the only player that I can ever say I found intimidating to play against,” Dale said.

“Not just his style of play, because he can wipe you off the table in no time. It’s just because he’s such a character.

“He’s a very aggressive person, Ronnie. In life generally, as well as on the table, and you feel that. It comes through when you’re playing him and you’re sat in your chair.

“If you make a mistake and he makes an 80-odd [break] in no time at all, it is frightening.

“You think, ‘Jeez, I can do this on the practice table, probably at half the speed, but I’m never likely to play with this much freedom in a match’, and he can really embarrass you.”

Dale’s perspective on O’Sullivan comes from 12 contests against the seven-time world champion, with the pair both turning professional in 1992.

Unfortunately for the Welshman, he has tasted victory just once against ‘The Rocket’.

Dale, who last played O’Sullivan at the 2021 Scottish Open, added the 49-year-old can flip a switch to instantly make ‘a difficult game look impossible’.

Dale believes O’Sullivan can turn a match in his favour almost instantly[/caption]

It is one of O’Sullivan’s many traits that make him ‘very intimidating’ to face.

Unfortunately fans haven’t been able to see as much of O’Sullivan’s dominance on the baize as they would have liked this year.

Since he withdrew from the Championship League in early January, an event where he snapped his cue in frustration, O’Sullivan has been a major absence from the snooker circuit.

He pulled out of the Masters before he was due to play longtime rival John Higgins and has subsequently withdrawn from the Welsh Open, the German Masters and the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.

O’Sullivan’s withdrawal from the World Grand Prix was due to medical reasons.

Snooker fans will hope O’Sullivan is fit and willing to feature at the World Snooker Championships, which is the next event on the calendar he is eligible to compete in.