Steve Davis Labels Ronnie O’Sullivan an “Enigma” Amid World Snooker Championship Run
As snooker fans around the world focus their attention on Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, one of the sport’s most influential figures has offered frank and intriguing views on Ronnie O’Sullivan, the game’s headline star. Steve Davis, himself a retired world champion and snooker legend, has described O’Sullivan as “weird” and “an enigma”, admitting to being thoroughly baffled by the Rocket’s seemingly endless success at the very highest level.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, currently in pursuit of a record-breaking eighth World Snooker Championship, continues to defy both his age and his rivals as he edges ever closer to another Crucible semi-final. O’Sullivan heads into his evening bout against Si Jiahui with a commanding 10-6 advantage, underlining the relentless form that has been a feature of his illustrious career.
O’Sullivan sits alongside Mark Williams and John Higgins in the so-called “Class of ’92”, a trio whose shared history of achievement has rewritten the sport’s record books. Collectively, they boast 100 ranking titles, 39 Triple Crown victories and 14 world titles, a testament to their enduring hunger for success and their unwavering passion for snooker.
Mark Williams, the talented Welshman, reinforced the class’s legacy with a dramatic narrow victory over Scottish rival Higgins, clinching their quarter-final clash 13-12 in a tense deciding frame. O’Sullivan now looks poised to join Williams in the semi-finals—although in the opposite half of the draw—with both players displaying the ability and focus that have kept them at the top for more than thirty years.
Steve Davis, who enjoyed a glittering era of his own and now offers commentary on the sport, has made no secret of his admiration for O’Sullivan and his peers. However, in a candid discussion with fellow legend Stephen Hendry on the “Hendry’s Cue Tips” YouTube channel in April 2024, Davis indicated that nothing about O’Sullivan’s ongoing dominance makes sense to him. He remarked, “Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams are really exceptional, weird people. Which one of the three of the Class of ’92 are going to crack up first?”
He went on to explain: “They are so good, and they’ve been so good for so long that they’ve given us the opportunity to enjoy which one of them is going to crack up first. You can’t understand Ronnie O’Sullivan and you can’t understand Mark Williams. How is he still winning? It’s stupid.”
These remarks, meant in equal parts as praise and genuine bewilderment, offer a glimpse into the way even the game’s most decorated minds struggle to comprehend the sustained brilliance of the “Class of ’92”. In Davis’s view, John Higgins appears the likely candidate to falter first, simply because he is not quite as eccentric as his two contemporaries.
Indeed, Davis’s predictions are fast becoming reality. Higgins has now bowed out of this year’s World Snooker Championship at the hands of Williams, while O’Sullivan remains very much in the running. As the tournament moves towards its closing stages, O’Sullivan prepares to face Si Jiahui once more, aiming for a semi-final berth. Awaiting the victor in the next round is China’s Zhao Xintong, while Williams prepares to battle either Judd Trump or Luca Brecel later in the week.
The ongoing dominance of these seasoned professionals continues to delight snooker aficionados, but also raises questions about the sport’s future stars and how long it will take for new talents to topple these icons. For now, Steve Davis and countless others remain fascinated by the mysterious ingredients that drive Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams forward, even as the rest of the game looks on in wonder.
As the Crucible lights shine on yet another memorable chapter in snooker history, O’Sullivan’s quest for an eighth title will take centre stage—fuelled by talent, determination, and, in Davis’s words, a dash of the weird and wonderful.