XI'AN, CHINA - AUGUST 19: Ronnie O'Sullivan of England reacts in the first round match (held over) against Wang Yuchen of Hong Kong on day 1 of 2024 Xi'an Grand Prix Qualifiers at Qujiang E-sports Centre on August 19, 2024 in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province of China. (Photo by Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images)
Tactical view: Iconic veteran Ronnie O’Sullivan publicly leaked the main secret why he is playing left-handed at Saudi Masters snooker event….
In snooker competitions, Ronnie O’Sullivan has stated that using his weaker left hand allows him to feel more “free.” The Rocket acknowledged that he hasn’t had much “feel” for snooker in the past two years, abandoning his dominant hand from the Saudi Arabia Masters.
O’Sullivan is vying for the £500,000 pot at the inaugural event, which is being held in Riyadh. Tuesday, he won his opening match against Lei Peifan.
When asked how he did with his left hand, he chuckled, saying, “Not great.” I’ll give it some thought later. I decided to start playing a little left-handed snooker since I haven’t felt like playing for the past two years and it’s been incredibly hard to enjoy the game.
It frees me up a bit, I enjoy playing and I can actually practice, so for me it’s just anything to get my cue out of the case, then when I’m in a match I’ve got to do anything to compete.
“But it’s not pretty, it’s not good, I am not flowing but what can you do? You have got to go with what you have got ain’t you?”
O’Sullivan has been keen to play in more tournaments in Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia and China. He believes the facilities and resources are far superior to those on offer in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The snooker icon believes the Saudi tournament is the best on tour. “Saudi Arabia has really raised the bar, this is the best event on the tour,” he said.
We’ve already seen a 147, which is fantastic, and the tournament has just begun. All the top players are about to enter the event and hopefully everyone’s going to watch some of the best snooker they could possibly see.
“The tables, the facilities, the venue that’s been put together; this tournament deserves to watch the best snooker ever seen. It really is that good.”
