The 2024 World Snooker Championship commences on Saturday morning with Ronnie O’Sullivan the favorite for the title once more.
The Rocket involves Sheffield on the again of a superb season through which he has gained 5 huge trophies, together with the UK Championship and the Masters.
If he have been to land what can be a report eighth World Championship crown on the Crucible Theatre this yr, O’Sullivan would develop into solely the fourth participant in historical past to seize all three Triple Crown titles in the identical marketing campaign.
Solely Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, and Mark Williams have achieved the feat prior to now.
However whereas O’Sullivan acknowledged the truth that he has carried out nicely this time period, he admits that he would have most well-liked to have skilled extra success in China.
The 48 year-old kick began his silverware-laden season with a victory within the Shanghai Masters final September.
But one semi-final and two quarter-final appearances have been the perfect he might do within the three Chinese language rating occasions.
“Clearly the majors – the Masters and the UK Championships and the World Championships – that’s what everybody says are the vital tournaments,” Ronnie O’Sullivan instructed the World Snooker Tour on Friday.
“I get that, however truly my purpose at the beginning of the season was to try to actually win as many tournaments in China as I might.”
“I managed to win one. I’d have preferred to have transformed a pair extra. I’d have swapped a UK or Masters to have gained one other event in China.
“That’s the place I actually needed to do nicely. But it surely’s been a superb season. I didn’t actually significantly have an intention to win or what was going to occur. You simply play.
“When you begin to win, it turns into a little bit of a behavior. I’ve all the time had good seasons. Even after I received to 5 finals (and misplaced), it was nonetheless a mammoth effort to get to 5 finals.
“I didn’t convert any of them, however I used to be solely dissatisfied to lose in a pair. It was nonetheless a extremely good season, I used to be 5 matches away from profitable 5 tournaments.
“I don’t actually take a look at my seasons like that was a superb one or that was a nasty one.
“So long as I’m constant, so long as I’m strong, so long as I’m within the operating, the primary factor is to take pleasure in it. I believe enjoyment comes from feeling snug together with your recreation.
“So long as that’s taking place, I don’t actually fear about victories and stuff.”
O’Sullivan doesn’t get his 2024 Crucible marketing campaign below manner till Wednesday, when he’ll tackle Jackson Web page within the first spherical.
Having first made his look within the event all the way in which again in 1993, the world primary is aware of that the early rounds are sometimes merely about staying within the hunt forward of sterner assessments in direction of the tip.
“You get used to it,” Ronnie O’Sullivan stated. “It hasn’t even began but, however you simply assume in case you are right here after seven or eight days, then it’s going to get powerful.”
“Simply be ready for it and try to keep in it. It’s a bit like attending to the Grand Nationwide and falling on the first hurdle.
“You need to be there on the final little bit should you can, then you definitely assume you’ve received a squeak now. That’s all you are able to do.
“There’s a lot matches occurring, a lot snooker to be performed which you can’t begin considering too far forward.
“Each match and each session you play on this venue is terrifying in some ways. You go on the market and put your self by way of it.
“It’s such a small venue, such an intimate venue. The gang are on high of you. The environment, you possibly can really feel it even within the dressing rooms.
“That every one takes its toll on you over a time period. Is it gratifying? Generally. Once you’re on the market and it’s going nice, you get right into a rhythm with it.
“Would I need to do it each week for the remainder of my life? Completely not. I want a number of better of sevens. Just a few fast, dusty ones. No circus, no media, not a lot curiosity.
“I wouldn’t need to do it on a regular basis. However every year I get equipped for it, and also you give it a go.”
2024 World Snooker Championship Draw
Click on right here for dwell scores and session instances.
Spherical 1 (bo19)
Luca Brecel (1) 9-10 David Gilbert
Robert Milkins (16) vs Pang Junxu
Ali Carter (9) vs Stephen Maguire
Shaun Murphy (8) vs Lyu Haotian
Mark Selby (5) vs Joe O’Connor
Kyren Wilson (12) vs Dominic Dale
John Higgins (13) vs Jamie Jones
Mark Allen (4) vs Robbie Williams
Judd Trump (3) vs Hossein Vafaei
Tom Ford (14) vs Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda (11) vs Jak Jones
Mark Williams (6) vs Si Jiahui
Ding Junhui (7) vs Jack Lisowski
Gary Wilson (10) vs Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins (15) vs Ryan Day
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) vs Jackson Web page
Spherical 2 (bo25)
David Gilbert vs Milkins/Pang
Carter/Maguire vs Murphy/Lyu
Selby/O’Connor vs Ok. Wilson/Dale
Higgins/Jamie Jones vs Allen/R. Williams
Trump/Vafaei vs Ford/Walden
Zhang/Jak Jones vs M. Williams/Si
Ding/Lisowski vs G. Wilson/Bingham
Hawkins/Day vs O’Sullivan/Web page
Quarter-Finals (bo25)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Semi-Finals (bo33)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Closing (bo35)
TBC vs TBC
Featured picture credit score: WST
