In order to put his health and wellness first, O’Sullivan announced that he will be taking a vacation from snooker, beginning with this week’s German Masters. Three straight victories for the Rocket, including the UK Championship and Masters, have left some people happy that the 48-year-old is taking a break from the game.
In the UK Championship final, O’Sullivan overcame a late deficit to defeat Ding Junhui. Later, he proved his mettle by defeating the Chinese star in the Masters and World Grand Prix.
In recent major tournaments, only O’Sullivan has defeated the undefeated Ding. This happened in their Barbican final when they squared off for the UK Championship before the Rocket surged ahead in the closing frames.
Neal Foulds, a snooker analyst and former world No. 3, thinks Ding’s departure from the game will be welcomed by O’Sullivan’s opponents. Foulds wrote for Sporting Life, “[O’Sullivan] can’t keep winning every week, of course he can’t, but right now, when he’s playing well, it’s hard to see who steps up to take him down.”
“The other players will be relieved that he isn’t in Berlin, but the German tournament organisers may be dissatisfied. Ding, who was soundly defeated in their World Grand Prix semifinal session and just denied in the UK Championship final, is one man who will be especially relieved to see Ronnie go. My ITV colleague Ken Doherty said that Ronnie’s snooker game was the best he had ever seen, and he was just amazing.
