Steve Davis rates ‘superhuman’ Ronnie O’Sullivan’s World Snooker Championship chances
'He is still the person that we think can fly.'
Steve Davis would love to see Ronnie O’Sullivan win the World Snooker Championship this year but cannot see it happening and would not blame the Rocket if he retired.
The snooker world awaits O’Sullivan’s decision on whether he will play at the Crucible this month or not, with an announcement yet to be made.
The seven-time champion has barely played in 2025 and has said he will not confirm whether he will be in Sheffield until shortly before the event begins on Saturday.
The 49-year-old has played this season, competing pretty regularly in the first half of the campaign, but has not been in action since January at all.
O’Sullivan took the whole of the 2012/13 season off before playing and winning the 2013 World Championship, so few would rule out his chances if he does turn up at the Crucible, but Davis would be surprised if he got his hands on the trophy.
‘I don’t think he can at 49,’ Davis told Metro. ‘It was a jaw-dropping thing when he did that last time, having a whole season off and winning it. That was astonishing, This would be even more astonishing.
‘I don’t think he’s going to win the World Championship this year, but I’d love it if he did.
‘He is still the person that we think can fly, he’s the genius and we’re all believers to some degree. We know he’s superhuman when he’s on a snooker table.
‘But we still don’t know if he’s going to play. Even though it’s the World Championship, the most exciting event of the season, if he’s not feeling it, he’s not feeling it. He could pull out the day before the match if he’s not feeling right.
‘We’re all hoping he plays in it because it’s his office to some degree and it would be sad to see him not there. And it will be a sad day when he retires as well because of how much enjoyment he’s given to so many people and how much astonishing snooker he’s played.’
The Rocket remains one of the favourites to win the world title this year despite his lack of competition and advancing years, but six-time champ Davis feels his game is not where it needs to be to earn more Crucible glory.
‘The problem for him is, when he gave up the ground last time round he was still cutting edge,’ he said. ‘It’s not so clear cut that he’s cutting edge by any stretch, he’s not ahead of the game anymore, unless he’s on absolute top form.
‘He can’t just switch the switch on and blow his opponents away anymore. He needs a bit of help, so if he were to win it he’d players to not play brilliantly against him and he needs to be on top form. It’s a marathon event and the older you are it takes its toll more and more.’
If O’Sullivan could pull off an incredible victory then it would take him clear on a record eight world titles, ahead of Stephen Hendry, which Davis wouldn’t mind seeing.
‘I’d love it if he won, not just that we’d want to see the look on Stephen Hendry’s face,’ Davis joked. ‘It is going to be harder because he is going to have to dig deeper than he did that time before.’
The 67-year-old was the sport’s greatest star in the 1980s and was considered the GOAT before Hendry took the mantle and then O’Sullivan replaced the Scot, in the opinions of most snooker fans.
Davis feels the Rocket handles the pressure of being the sport’s shining light impressively, but it will eventually wear him out and would understand it if O’Sullivan wants to hang up his cue for good.
‘I think he copes with it very well but I think it still takes its toll, taking the responsibility, and you feel like the weight is on your shoulders a little bit more,’ said the Nugget.
‘I think he does it very well but it is understandable if he decides to jack it all in. Anybody that was disappointed in him should have a reality check because of how much he’s given to the game. The enjoyment he’s given has been astonishing.
‘It’s down to him. If he can still build up the enthusiasm to enjoy the game of snooker and compete and when his mind’s right for it then that’s fantastic. But if he decides he’s had enough and can’t do it anymore. We’d all go, “woah, what a fantastic career, every credit for how long he’s been at the top of the game.”
‘Somewhere down the line you can learn to not like the game you first loved. It’s human nature.’
The World Snooker Championship begins on Saturday April 19 at the Crucible, shown live on the BBC.
