Two distinct events that occurred two years apart demonstrate Ronnie O’Sullivan’s maturation as a person. This month at the World Snooker Championship, O’Sullivan received recognition for a “great” display of sportsmanship.
However, that event occurred two years after O’Sullivan incited a snooker fan feud by slyly giving referee Olivier Marteel the signal to make a shot. O’Sullivan was snookered, and he wanted to make sure the referee knew where the white ball was in the World Championship final versus Judd Trump, where O’Sullivan was leading 2-1.
He attempted to catch the edge but failed, requiring TV replays to replace the ball. When the ball was eventually replaced, Marteel said, “You can flick it on the left-hand side,” claiming to have glimpsed the red.
O’Sullivan answered curtly, “No, I can’t. You try?” and made a motion to pass the cue over. Fans were divided over the episode; some thought O’Sullivan had behaved disrespectfully.
However, two years later, O’Sullivan’s personal development is shown in a graceful gesture made during Stuart Bingham’s victory over him at the Crucible. The 48-year-old chose a safer shot over a pot red after believing that referee Desislava Bozhilova had misidentified the black ball.
He could have potted the red, but he played it safe. In his BBC Sport analysis of the game, Neil Robertson declared, “It’s unbelievable.”
“I think this is among the best examples of sportsmanship I have ever witnessed in any sport. That is amazing.That is something I have never seen before.
To be honest, I think some of the referees had it in for me, so I just wanted to show her that she was mistaken. O’Sullivan, however, had a different take on the matter.
“I wanted to make the point, even though I didn’t feel good about potting the ball after that. It was made clear. I can go to sleep at night once the principle has been formed since I’m not that hungry to win it that way.
However, the second instance shows O’Sullivan’s transition from bizarre moments to a far more subdued demeanour. The World No. 1 has won five events in 2023–24, coinciding with a return to his peak form.
There were wins at the Shanghai Masters, the UK Championship, the Masters, the World Grand Prix, and the World Masters. But an unprecedented eighth global crown is still out of reach. He will be hoping that at the end of his journey, he will have gone one better than Stephen Hendry.
