‘I’m the guv’nor’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan names snooker star who had the ‘aura’ of Usain Bolt
Ronnie O’Sullivan boasts a presence like no other snooker player in the eyes of many. The box office star remains the main attraction in the sport, 33 years after his professional debut. O’Sullivan is widely regarded as the greatest snooker player of all timeGetty Whether he’s entertaining the masses with his outrageous skill set or reciting his many incredible life stories, O’Sullivan’s enigmatic style keeps fans wanting more. But whilst the Rocket sits on a pedestal many struggle to reach, the seven-time world champion credits another former great as the king of the table. “Ray Reardon had an aura about him, he walked into a room and he was like this is my table I’m the guv’nor,” O’Sullivan told The Snooker Breakdown on Discovery+. “In the same way Usain Bolt does with when he walked out onto the track, this is me, you’re just here to make up numbers.” Ahead of the upcoming World Snooker Championship, which starts on April 19, O’Sullivan took top spot in a poll asking viewers who the greatest snooker player of all time was. The Rocket came out as a comfortable winner, taking a whopping 71.5 per cent of the vote with Stephen Hendry in second place with 15.5 per cent. But O’Sullivan credited another legend of the game as the greatest as he was a huge inspiration to him as he was breaking into the professional ranks. “Jimmy (White) was the first player I was inspired by, the most exciting player there was,” O’Sullivan said. “Then when you start to take the sport more seriously, you start to appreciate other players. “There was obviously Steve Davis, he was unbelievable the way he played the game. But then Hendry came along and for me he raised the bar as far as it could possibly go. “He (Davis) wasn’t so good under pressure, he would get tight. He didn’t enjoy the pressure. But then he didn’t really need to win matches under pressure because he was so much better than everyone else. Whereas Hendry was unbelievable under pressure.” Welshman Reardon won the World Snooker Championship six times during his careerRex “For me, Hendry had that mettle and determination, and then Ronnie’s come along and taken a bit from all of these players and with his natural talent became the ultimate winning machine,” said White. White, who sat alongside O’Sullivan during the show, responded in similar fashion with a ringing endorsement of the Rocket. “Ronnie O’Sullivan for me, plays snooker in the most serious times of matches as though he’s just practising. Hendry was a bit like that, he was in his own bubble, I’d play him, he’d have none of the crowd, but was always full focused,” the Whirlwind added. Asked how he feels about being widely recognised as the greatest player of all time, O’Sullivan said: “I’m not that sort of person who gets wrapped up in that. I just like to play the game. Like Jimmy, I have a lot of fans’ support. “So maybe if I hadn’t won as many titles as I have, I maybe could have still got the vote because they just want to support Ronnie. “If you asked only snooker purists who the greatest is, then the poll may have been a lot closer. People tend to vote with their heart.” The legendary White spoke highly of counterpart O’SullivanGetty But his modest take was immediately shot down by White, who was quick to remind him of the impact he has had on the sport. “The public with Ronnie O’Sullivan… people love winners,” White added. “Every once in a while you get people who do it with such style, like (Seve) Ballesteros, these special types of sportsmen. “Ronnie takes fans on a roller coaster with him and because he also has the flair and the style and being a winning machine, people live it with him, they live every shot with him.” O’Sullivan is gearing up for his first major event of 2025 after pulling out of five tournaments this year due to ‘fatigue.’ The Rocket is hoping to knock reigning champion Kyren Wilson off his perch and claim his eighth title but admits that getting to the quarter-final stage is the first major hurdle to overcome on the way to lifting the crown. O’Sullivan has won the World Snooker Championships seven timesPA “You’ve been training your whole life, it’s like boxers training to get hit in the head, it’s no different to when you were a kid,” he said. “I don’t think you necessarily need to train especially for it. You’re just going up in levels and standards. “I was always think the World Championship gets going about the quarter-finals. I’ve always felt that the first two rounds are the turning point. “If you can get to the quarter-finals without playing your best I thought this could be on. The Crucible is a great leveller. “You’ve got players like Peter Ebdon, Graham Dott who you wouldn’t necessarily think could win a tournament that big, but they’ve got such good temperaments they can manage their emotions well. “And the Crucible can be about how best you can manage your emotions r
Ronnie O’Sullivan boasts a presence like no other snooker player in the eyes of many.
The box office star remains the main attraction in the sport, 33 years after his professional debut.
Whether he’s entertaining the masses with his outrageous skill set or reciting his many incredible life stories, O’Sullivan’s enigmatic style keeps fans wanting more.
But whilst the Rocket sits on a pedestal many struggle to reach, the seven-time world champion credits another former great as the king of the table.
“Ray Reardon had an aura about him, he walked into a room and he was like this is my table I’m the guv’nor,” O’Sullivan told The Snooker Breakdown on Discovery+.
“In the same way Usain Bolt does with when he walked out onto the track, this is me, you’re just here to make up numbers.”
Ahead of the upcoming World Snooker Championship, which starts on April 19, O’Sullivan took top spot in a poll asking viewers who the greatest snooker player of all time was.
The Rocket came out as a comfortable winner, taking a whopping 71.5 per cent of the vote with Stephen Hendry in second place with 15.5 per cent.
But O’Sullivan credited another legend of the game as the greatest as he was a huge inspiration to him as he was breaking into the professional ranks.
“Jimmy (White) was the first player I was inspired by, the most exciting player there was,” O’Sullivan said. “Then when you start to take the sport more seriously, you start to appreciate other players.
“There was obviously Steve Davis, he was unbelievable the way he played the game. But then Hendry came along and for me he raised the bar as far as it could possibly go.
“He (Davis) wasn’t so good under pressure, he would get tight. He didn’t enjoy the pressure. But then he didn’t really need to win matches under pressure because he was so much better than everyone else. Whereas Hendry was unbelievable under pressure.”
“For me, Hendry had that mettle and determination, and then Ronnie’s come along and taken a bit from all of these players and with his natural talent became the ultimate winning machine,” said White.
White, who sat alongside O’Sullivan during the show, responded in similar fashion with a ringing endorsement of the Rocket.
“Ronnie O’Sullivan for me, plays snooker in the most serious times of matches as though he’s just practising. Hendry was a bit like that, he was in his own bubble, I’d play him, he’d have none of the crowd, but was always full focused,” the Whirlwind added.
Asked how he feels about being widely recognised as the greatest player of all time, O’Sullivan said: “I’m not that sort of person who gets wrapped up in that. I just like to play the game. Like Jimmy, I have a lot of fans’ support.
“So maybe if I hadn’t won as many titles as I have, I maybe could have still got the vote because they just want to support Ronnie.
“If you asked only snooker purists who the greatest is, then the poll may have been a lot closer. People tend to vote with their heart.”
But his modest take was immediately shot down by White, who was quick to remind him of the impact he has had on the sport.
“The public with Ronnie O’Sullivan… people love winners,” White added.
“Every once in a while you get people who do it with such style, like (Seve) Ballesteros, these special types of sportsmen.
“Ronnie takes fans on a roller coaster with him and because he also has the flair and the style and being a winning machine, people live it with him, they live every shot with him.”
O’Sullivan is gearing up for his first major event of 2025 after pulling out of five tournaments this year due to ‘fatigue.’
The Rocket is hoping to knock reigning champion Kyren Wilson off his perch and claim his eighth title but admits that getting to the quarter-final stage is the first major hurdle to overcome on the way to lifting the crown.
“You’ve been training your whole life, it’s like boxers training to get hit in the head, it’s no different to when you were a kid,” he said.
“I don’t think you necessarily need to train especially for it. You’re just going up in levels and standards.
“I was always think the World Championship gets going about the quarter-finals. I’ve always felt that the first two rounds are the turning point.
“If you can get to the quarter-finals without playing your best I thought this could be on. The Crucible is a great leveller.
“You’ve got players like Peter Ebdon, Graham Dott who you wouldn’t necessarily think could win a tournament that big, but they’ve got such good temperaments they can manage their emotions well.
“And the Crucible can be about how best you can manage your emotions rather than who’s the best player.
“There are some great players who don’t do as well there as other tournaments because they can’t hold it together because of the duration.
“My first experience I didn’t enjoy it one bit, played Alan McManus lost 10-7, I think my highest break was 40 odd.
“The first time I really enjoyed it was in 2001 when I won it for the first time.”
The Breakdown will air on Wednesday 9th April at 11pm on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+
