Ken Doherty has major concerns regarding Ronnie O’Sullivan’s maverick decision to base himself in Dublin during the upcoming World Championship, while the 1997 Crucible hero told RTÉ Sport that his own future in the game as a player has yet to be decided.
O’Sullivan will head to Sheffield via his Irish base in search of an eighth Crucible crown, which would put him one clear of Stephen Hendry in the record books.
The 50-year-old begins his campaign against He Guoqiang on Tuesday as a heavy favourite to advance past the Chinese qualifier. However, the 25-year-old from China has defeated the Rocket in two of their last three encounters.
O’Sullivan decamped to Dubai last year, joining Judd Trump and several other international sports stars who have opted to call the emirate home.
With O’Sullivan now limiting the time he spends in the UK, his strategy could ironically lead to a taxing time travelling to and from the Steel City.
“He might play his first match and not play for four days,” Doherty said on RTÉ’s Inside Sport on Thursday evening. “But I would say going back and forth on a plane… no, I don’t think he can do that.
“If you’re there to win the World Championship, you’ve got to stay there. You’ve got to focus, you’ve got to rest well, you’ve got to practice well. But you can’t be jumping on planes, because that’s just taking too much out of you, no matter how fit you are.
“I certainly wouldn’t recommend it, but Ronnie is his own man. He does what he does, and he does what he wants to do, and what he feels is right.”
Last year, Zhao Xintong triumphed in the event as a qualifier. His form leading up to the tournament was outstanding, but he still had to be regarded as something of a surprise winner.
Kyren Wilson was crowned champion a year earlier and the talented-but-erratic Luca Brecel pulled off a major upset to lift the trophy in 2023. The Belgian has failed to reach this year’s event.
The battle for world supremacy does seem to be becoming a little more unpredictable
“You always expected the likes of Stephen Hendry or Steve Davis or Ronnie O’Sullivan or John Higgins back in the day, but nothing is guaranteed,” Doherty said.
“That was the great thing about last year with Zhao, coming through the qualifiers and going on to win five matches at the Crucible as well, defeating O’Sullivan in the semi-final and blowing away Mark Williams in the final.
“It was just exceptional, and he’s 2-1 favourite! I’ve never known a champion with such short odds coming into the World Championship for a long time, back since the days of Davis and Hendry.”
Xintong (above) has won the World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Tour Championship and the non-ranking Riyadh Season Championship this season.
On form, his place at the head of the betting market is warranted. However, form doesn’t factor in the dreaded ‘Crucible curse’.
No first-time champion has been able to defend the crown since the tournament moved to Sheffield in 1977.
Even more damning, 20 defending champions have come a cropper in the opening round of their title defences, with Wilson falling at the first hurdle 12 months ago.
“There is the old Crucible curse,” Doherty added. “No first-time winner has come back and defended the trophy.
“Joe Johnson got to the final in 1987 after winning in 1986, and I got to the final in 1998 and lost to Higgins after winning in 1997.
“That’s the furthest any first-time winner has ever got.”
To a younger generation of fans, Doherty is best known as a snooker commentator. The 56-year-old can still be found grinding on the green baize, but perhaps not for much longer.
His own hopes of reaching the Crucible as a player one last time were ended by Patrick Whelan in qualifying.
Doherty will finish well outside the top 64 in the world rankings at the end of this season, meaning just as in 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2024, he will have to pin his hopes of obtaining an invitational card from the sport’s governing body if he is to remain on the main tour.
Whether one will be extended to him or whether he even wants one remains unclear.
On his plans for next season, he said: “At this moment in time, I feel like I don’t want to play, but I don’t know.
“I have a few weeks to contemplate on it.
“I’ve loved my time playing, but I can’t play like I used to and it gets very frustrating when you can’t do that.
“I can’t give it that time that I used to. As you get old, it’s hard to go in and give those long hours of practice in the snooker club.
“If I give up, I’ve had a great time. I’ll still play exhibitions, I’ll still maybe do the seniors, but I don’t know.
“I haven’t fully committed to playing or not committed to playing yet.”