At 48 years old, Ronnie O’Sullivan seems to be harder to beat than ever. Opponents find it tough to handle the Rocket’s aura in addition to his play, and Mark Selby claims that many lack the confidence necessary to take on the world number one.
With only three losses in 34 games played, O’Sullivan is having a phenomenal season, winning the Shanghai Masters, World Grand Prix, UK Championship, and Masters.
Despite not always being at the peak of his game, Selby concurs with Neil Robertson when he says that O’Sullivan has been “pretty awful” at times.
The Leicester Jester believes that the Rocket now exudes the same aura that Phil Taylor did when he was at his best on the oche, and that many opponents have already been defeated.before the start of a game.About O’Sullivan’s intimidating quality, Selby told Metro.co.uk, “That just comes from winning.” “If you draw Ronnie in a competition, you can be certain he’s playing well because he’s won the last three events.”
“I think he hasn’t played at the top of his game in many of the tournaments, even though I agree with Neil.” However, he is the one who established that aura with his professional accomplishments.
Like Phil Taylor while he’s playing darts. He was the same. Apart from a few of the best boys that play him, I don’t think many players fear Ronnie and still think they can win because a lot of them had already lost before they even took the stage.
This, in Selby’s opinion, is the secret to managing a match against the best player to have ever played the game.
Though the Rocket has also suffered many losses in the other direction, the 40-year-old has defeated O’Sullivan in the championship match of each of the three Triple Crown competitions as well as on multiple other occasions.
The Jester advises dealing with the aura that others find difficult to handle by clinging to your unwavering belief in yourself despite setbacks.
“It’s true that no one can consistently outplay him, but if you enter a match with the mindset that you can win, you have a better chance than if you think you have no chance at all,” he added. I simply know that I can win if I play to the best of my ability and have faith in my own abilities. I never doubt my ability to win when I play Ronnie. Although I know it will be a difficult game, I have faith in my ability to succeed. It’s another matter entirely whether or not I will.
Even if I’ve defeated him more often than he has, that doesn’t mean I don’t think I can prevail. If you think that way, there’s no sense in going out there.Even though Selby isn’t having the best season of his career, he still qualifies for this week’s Players Championship, which is open to the top 16 players in the one-year ranking list.is performing better than most.
Few athletes look forward to facing the four-time world champion, but when asked if his opponents dread him, he replies, “I don’t know, that’s not for me to say.”
“Hopefully they do, but I don’t think I have a fear factor because a lot of players seem to play well against me.”
I simply go out there and give it my all while trying to play my own game. If it meets your expectations, excellent; if not, try again later.
Selby and O’Sullivan will play each other in the Players Championship quarterfinals if they win their opening games this week in Telford.
Tuesday night the Rocket plays Zhou Yuelong, while on Wednesday afternoon the Jester plays Barry Hawkins.
