Ronnie O’Sullivan is due to play on Thursday at the Champion of Champions (Photo by Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images)
This week’s Champion of Champions is ‘perfect’ for Ronnie O’Sullivan, says his fellow seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry.
The Rocket is due to play Xiao Guodong in his opening game of the Champion of Champions on Thursday in Bolton as he searches for his first title of the season.
It has been a quiet campaign so far for the 48-year-old, by his sky high standards, but Hendry reckons this week in Bolton is ideal for him to turn things around.
O’Sullivan has won the Champions of Champions four times before and it has only been held 11 times in the modern version of the event.
Hendry reckons the one-table set-up throughout, with maximum attention and just four games to win over three days for O’Sullivan, it is an ideal situation for the seven-time world champ.
‘It’s the fact it’s one table, all the attention is on you, we always have great crowds here, that’s what the big players love. Inspiration, venues to inspire the and make them play their best,’ Hendry said on ITV4.
‘It’s one of the reasons the likes of Ronnie has done so well here, it’s perfect for him.
O’Sullivan has lifted the trophy in 2013, 14, 18 and 22 (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Ronnie doesn’t come in till Thursday, so basically this is the kind of tournament he loves. He’s go tot play three days of snooker to pick up the trophy.
‘It’s perfect for him! That’s why he has such a good record in this event.’
O’Sullivan is due to play in Group 4 of the event, which means taking on Xiao first and if he progresses then facing the winner of Mark Selby vs Shaun Murphy later in the same evening.
That is a tough enough draw to reach the semi-finals, while the likes of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Mark Allen, Neil Robertson and Mark Williams are all lurking in the field.
So while it may be the ideal environment for O’Sullivan to perform, it will be far from easy for the Rocket to find his winning formula again.
The world number five won five titles last season, but the last was in March at the World Masters of Snooker in Saudi Arabia and he has not been past a semi-final yet this season.