Stephen Hendry is not sure who can stop Ronnie O’Sullivan at the World Snooker Championship this year, while Neil Robertson admits it will be very difficult to if the Rocket gets past the first two rounds.
The world number one has had an incredible season so far, winning the UK Championship, Masters, Shanghai Masters, World Grand Prix and the recent World Masters of Snooker.
The likes of Judd Trump, Mark Allen and Zhang Anda have also had notably excellent seasons, but the seven-time world champion will be the man to beat heading to Sheffield.
Hendry, also a seven-time Crucible king, is not convinced anyone is capable of beating the Rocket in Sheffield this year.
‘For me, looking at the other side. Who’s going to stop him?’ Hendry said, talking to Robertson on the Scot’s Cue Tips channel.
‘If you’re not at your best, if Judd’s not, who’s going to stop him?’
Robertson has had a very poor season by his standards, but feels that he is one of only a few players who will not be intimidated by the GOAT.
‘He’s had an unbelievable season,’ Robertson said of the Rocket. ‘I’m probably the type of character who wouldn’t be scared of him in that sense.
‘I think once he gets down to the quarters or semis, before then he can lose to anyone in the field, but when he gets down to the quarters or semis then the amount of people who could actually beat him in a semi-final comes down to a handful at best.
‘It just depends on him, if his mindset is really good. We saw in his documentary what he goes through. A lot of it really does depend on him.’
While both Hendry and Robertson are convinced by O’Sullivan’s credentials this year, they remember thinking the same last season before he was beaten by Luca Brecel in the quarter-finals.
‘I thought he was almost a certainty last year and I don’t know what happened,’ said Robertson. ‘I watched the last session with Luca and that was the worst I’ve ever seen him play.’
Hendry added: ‘I commentated on it and I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t remember the last time I’ve seen him play that bad at the Crucible in a session. Luca was good but he wasn’t outstandingly good in that session.’
Robertson’s own chances of Crucible glory may not be helped by almost certainly having to go through World Championship qualifying, although he sees it differently.
Having slipped down the world rankings, the Aussie faces the perilous qualifiers for the Crucible, but he reckons that might actually improve his odds of winning the big one for a second time.
‘I actually said a couple of years ago I’d almost rather be a qualifier,’ he said. ‘You’re coming in against he seed when the pressure is all on them.
‘I don’t think anyone would want to draw me.’
MORE : Neil Robertson names two snooker legends he still watches to learn from
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