Jimmy White claims Ronnie O’Sullivan hasn’t been tested yet at this year’s World Snooker Championship.
However, the snooker legend has told talkSPORT what he thinks can give the seven-time world champion the edge in 2025.
O’Sullivan has reached the quarter-finals at the Crucible in Sheffield by beating Pang Junxu 13-4 on Monday evening.
His appearance at the World Championships comes after a three-month absence from the snooker table.
The 49-year-old now appears to be back to his very best, but six-time finalist White doesn’t think he’s faced strong competition so far.
“You remember when he had a year off, and he came back and won the World Championship [in 2013]?” he told Drive before O’Sullivan beat Junxu.
“His first session with Marcus Campbell, he was all over the place, a little bit like he was with Ali Carter. Ali Carter was 1-0 up, should’ve gone 2-0 up.
“O’Sullivan went 3-1 up and in the evening, he looked really composed and I think he played really well. O’Sullivan, as you know, is super fit, so I think he’s played his way nicely into this tournament, looks like he’s going to win this match, he’s 12-4 up over Pang.
“And if he wins this match he plays Si Jiahui, who beat Ben Woollaston and it has to be said, Si Jiahui didn’t play anywhere near like he played the year he got beaten by Luca [Brecel] in the semi-final when Luca won it [2023].
“So O’Sullivan is going along nicely, but he’s not gone through the gears yet.”
“One question I often think about is how gruelling it is to sit in that chair, day after day after day,” host Andy Goldstein said.
“17 days of snooker, so you’re not just playing the best, you’ve got to be mentally fit for this right?”
O’Sullivan awaits yet another quarter-final match at the CrucibleGetty But White doesn’t think he’s faced any real challenge thus farGettyWhite agreed, before highlighting how O’Sullivan’s fitness could play a key role in his search for an eighth world title.
“This is why O’Sullivan’s got such a big edge because we know how super fit he is. Ok, he hasn’t played a lot of match snooker, but he hasn’t been tested yet.
“A few times Ronnie O’Sullivan’s won the World Championship, no one’s even got close to him but he has to improve, he’ll tell you that himself.
“Because there’s not that many one visits, it’s early days yet but you’ve got to be mentally sharp and fit.”
Reflecting on his last 16 win against Junxu, O’Sullivan said: “It was hard [to come back after three months off] because I thought it could be a complete disaster, I was happy to make a game of it, win two or three frames maybe.
“If either of the opponents I’ve played had played well, I’d have got beaten but they’ve played poorly, let me off the hook and I’ve managed to score a few.
O’Sullivan is eyeing his first world title since 2022Getty“It’s very different to when I had a year off in 2012 because the minute I put the cue in my hand seven, eight weeks before the tournament in 2013 I didn’t feel like I could miss.
“I’ve won this tournament many times before playing what I consider ‘bad’ so it can be done.
“But when you’re in your late 30s, early 40s, it’s probably much more achievable than when you’re 50 and struggling to bend down to do your shoelaces up.”
O’Sullivan, who has beaten Carter and Junxu, is in a record-extending 23rd World Championship quarter-final and faces Sia Jiahui.
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