Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Ronnie OSullivan, Snooker
Ryan Smart
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been questioned over one aspect of his game that is completely different to other players on the World Snooker Tour by a legend of the sport.
'The Rocket' is one of the most entertaining players in the history of the sport, with his natural talent and attacking style making him a must-see attraction at events.
The 47-year-old will chase his eighth World Championship title at the Crucible Theatre beginning in April, and lifting the trophy would also result in him becoming just the fourth snooker player in history to win the Triple Crown of events (The Masters, UK Championship and World Championship) in the same year.
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One area of O'Sullivan's game that has always left fans slightly confused is the tip of his snooker cue, with 'The Rocket' regularly seen adjusting it during frames.
The exact cause of the problem doesn't even seem to be known by the man himself - although snooker rival John Higgins claimed in 2022 that it is because of the type of chalk he uses.
O'Sullivan uses the old Triangle chalk, which was criticised by players for causing 'kicks' - where the white ball strikes the object ball in unexpected fashion during a shot.
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Top players have switched over to the new Taom chalk in recent years, which many say causes fewer kicks.
But O'Sullivan is yet to make the change and, barring a major change of heart, you suspect that given his current run of form, he will not have any intention of doing so.
And speaking on his YouTube channel, fellow seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry admitted that he does not understood why 'The Rocket' hasn't already started using the new chalk.
He said: "The tables used to change a bit from tournament to tournament. But now, pretty much consistently, the tables are always [consistent].
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"But as soon as anything goes wrong, the players are like, 'Oh my God'.
"The biggest I'd say is Ronnie will still use the old chalk, which gets kicks and bounces on the cushion. I don't know why he wouldn't use a new one. Whether it's stubbornness I don't know.
"All the other players use the new chalk. You never get any marks on the table. If you watch old snooker matches from the 80s, there would be chalk marks everywhere and you'd get kicks all the time."