Ronnie O'Sullivan is undoubtedly the most naturally talented person to ever pick up a snooker cue. He might not have won as many World Championships as Stephen Hendry or Steve Davis, but if there was ever a man born to play snooker, it was Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Currently, the 37 year-old has four World Championships to his name with his most recent coming last year when he beat Ali Carter 18-11. He is the winner of 24 ranking events during his career and when playing his best snooker, O'Sullivan is simply unstoppable.
He is also a constant source of frustration for fans of the sport like myself. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if I looked up the word 'enigma' in a dictionary and a picture of O'Sullivan was there beside the definition.
On Tuesday, O Sullivan finally put an end to months of speculation when he confirmed he would be back at the Crucible to defend his World Championship in April. That summed 'The Rocket' up down to a tee. It's hard to imagine say Novak Djokovic or even Phil Taylor going through a situation where the governing bodies and fans of their sports won't know if they will be turning up the following year to defend their titles.
O'Sullivan is a real joy to watch and remains the biggest draw in the sport by some distance with his entertaining, fast-paced style. In 1997 he hit a truly remarkable maximum 147 break in just five minutes and 20 seconds; a record that will surely never be beaten. This is the O'Sullivan snooker fans wish would turn up on every occasion- the player that won his first UK Championship just aged 17, the man that shows no remorse to any opponent in building century break after century break and the player that should be favourite for the World Championship when it begins next month.
However, the bookies currently have O'Sullivan third favourite for the championship behind Judd Trump and Mark Selby which sounds about fair to me. But neither of them have won the championship before. O'Sullivan knows exactly what it takes and if he's in the mood, then not even the fact that he's only played once since winning last years event could stop him.
I'd advise not wasting your money though. Nobody including O'Sullivan himself knows what sort of psychological state he is going to turn up in every time at the baize. I have often criticised O'Sullivan as at times it has appeared he hates the game. Why should people turn up to watch someone who isn't going to put in 100% effort? Indeed, I was full of sympathy for the fans who had turned up to see him in an UK Championship quarter final match in 2006, only to watch him walk out in the 6th frame against Stephen Hendry saying "He had had enough of it mate." This was truly shameful behaviour, but it is too simplistic to say that.
O'Sullivan isn't your typical snooker player. Both his parents have served in prison, with his Dad notably serving 20 years for a murder in 1992 when Ronnie Junior was just 16 years old. Only two years later, his Mum went to prison for tax evasion and Ronnie, still only 18 had to provide for himself and protect his fledgling snooker career. He's suffered problems with both drink and drugs which included spending a stint at the Priory rehab clinic in 2000. O'Sullivan also assaulted a media official at the 1996 World Championship and has also suffered from bouts of depression. Most 'ordinary' people would find this set of events almost impossible to deal with; O'Sullivan has had to do it all whilst remaining in the public eye as a world-class sportsman.
All I want as a snooker fan is for O'Sullivan to look like he is enjoying playing the game. He doesn't have to be playing with a smile on his face but I hope to be sitting in my lounge when the World Championship starts in April watching a player that is in a good frame of mind and one that will provide exciting viewing.
'The Rocket' remains the sport's biggest draw because he is a naturally gifted player. In all honesty, he should have been as dominant at the Crucible as Rafael Nadal as been at the French Open or Phil Taylor has been at the World Darts Championship. But it really is a lottery with O'Sullivan and the ultimate question is whether he'll fulfill his talent before he retires for good.
One thing is for certain- it will be a bumpy but extraordinary ride to watch.
