Ronnie O’Sullivan has won multiple times the snooker world cup and has been since a young age active as a professional snooker player. Because of his high speed of play, he is nicknamed ‘The Rocket’. O’Sullivan is right-handed, but can play above average with his left hand.
The Early Snooker Years
Ronnie O’Sullivan began playing snooker at the age of 7 and the young lad from Wordsley in England appeared to have exceptional talent for the game. That talent is being developed further when little Ronnie gets a snooker table from his father and O’Sullivan, along with its neighbor, practices hours and hours.
At the age of 9 the young snooker player wins for the first time a tournament and at the age of ten, he scored already a break of more than 100 points. When he was fifteen years old, O’Sullivan made ​​the first maximum break of 147 points. At sixteen, he became a professional player.
Also at professional level, he was able to show his talent and he became in 1993 the youngest player to win a ranking tournament, the 17 -year-old young man was the winner of the UK Championship tournament. He also broke various records, such as winning 38 matches in a row.
During the years that followed, Ronnie O’Sullivan won several ranking and non- ranking tournaments, including the British Open, The Masters, the Scottish Open, the Premier League and the German Masters. In 1998, he became the winner of the Irish Open, but this title he lost because he was caught using hashish.
World Snooker Championship
His big break he experienced in 2001, when Ronnie O’Sullivan won the world cup snooker for the first time in his career. This prestigious title he would also win in 2004, 2008 , 2012 and 2013. So far, the multiple world champion won every final of the World Snooker Championship he played.
Maximum Break 147 – Record Time
During the 1997 World Snooker Championship, Ronnie O’Sullivan made ​​the maximum break of 147 points in 5 minutes and 20 seconds, the fastest time ever for a 147 break. Until today, he still holds the record for the fastest snooker break.
Ronnie O’Sullivan personal life and trouble
Around the time that Ronnie O’Sullivan began his professional snooker career, both his father and mother ended up in jail. His father was charged with murder, while his mother was prosecuted for tax evasion. Because of this, O’Sullivan became depressed and developed a drug problem.
O’Sullivan has caused several times a commotion in the world of snooker. He frequently talks in a negative way about his colleagues. In 2006, he surprised everyone during a match against snooker giant Stephen Hendry: after he missed an easy ball, he walked to his opponent, shook his hand and walked away from the match. Later he said that he walked away because his own game irritated him.