Ronnie O’Sullivan is arguably the greatest snooker player to have ever graced the green baize, and as 'The Rocket' gears-up for his 34th consecutive Crucible campaign, we take a look at his three greatest rivalries.
Ronnie O’Sullivan's Greatest Snooker Rivalries
No.1 - Ronnie O’Sullivan v John Higgins
Played: 79
Won: 41
Win Percentage: 52%
A unique rivalry that has defied time, and one that would continue to pack out venues anywhere on the planet, ten times over!
Ronnie O’Sullivan versus John Higgins will, for many, always be one of the true blockbuster occasions of the sporting calendar.
There’s no other player on the planet that the Rocket has faced more often than the 'Wizard of Wishaw', and by his own admission, there is no other player to have challenged him more than the great Scotsman either.
Of the 79 occasions they have met on the professional circuit, O’Sullivan has tasted success 41 times and been beaten 35, with three ending all-square; it’s a head-to-head that couldn’t be much more finely balanced.
Incredibly, of those 79 matches, 18 have come in tournament finals including the 2001 World Snooker Championship showpiece - an occasion that provided O’Sullivan with the first of his seven Crucible triumphs to date.
In total, each player has tasted success three times in major ranking finals between them, whilst the Rocket just about edges the non-ranking final head-to-head 7-5, although it was Higgins who reigned supreme in the most recent, the 2021 Players Championship.
Such is their remarkable class and longevity in the game, having both turned professional in 1992, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that they contest the 2026 World Snooker Championship final.
And what a way that would be for the Rocket to establish himself as the outright king of the Crucible, breaking free of the seven he is tied on with another of his greatest all-time adversaries, Stephen Hendry.
No.2 - Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stephen Hendry
Played: 56
Won: 30
Win Percentage: 53.37%
The fabled question… who is the greatest snooker player in history?
Many will argue the case for Ronnie O'Sullivan, others will stake a serious claim for Stephen Hendry. Either way, there’s really no right or wrong answer.
That said, an eighth World Snooker Championship crown at the Crucible this year would add significant weight to those of an O’Sullivan persuasion, with the two British sporting icons currently level-pegging on seven apiece.
For over a decade, across the mid-to-late 90s and early noughties, O’Sullivan and Hendry were living in each other’s minds.
Their every meeting was true Box Office stuff. Two heavyweights of the sport colliding in some of the most memorable occasions in the sport’s history.
The fact that almost a quarter of their 56 career meetings remarkably came in showpiece finals serves to indicate their dominance throughout that golden period.
O’Sullivan was superior in those match-ups, winning nine of the 13, including his maiden ranking title - the 1993 UK Championship - with Hendry succeeding in the other four (the Masters title in 1996 arguably the highlight).
But their rivalry far exceeded just the big stage.
They tore shreds out of each other as they battled for on-table supremacy, and, on occasions, things certainly boiled over off it too.
O’Sullivan was ill-advised by his close friend Prince Naseem Hamed - a then British boxing icon - to call Hendry out; vowing to ‘send him back to his sad little life in Scotland’ ahead of their World Snooker Championship semi-final in 2002.
Hendry went on to win the match 17-13. O’Sullivan, a couple of years later, apologised for his words, yet, despite that, their previous healthy off the table relationship was broken.
Four years later, O’Sullivan stormed out of a UK Championship clash when trailing and his decision to give up on the game and shake hands with Hendry was arguably the most controversial moment of the Rocket’s career.
Thankfully, it was far and a long way short of being the most defining.
The pair have since settled their differences and now enjoy a far more fruitful friendship, but you can decide for yourself whether Hendry who has previously spoken of his hope for O’Sullivan to reach eight world titles, deep down, truly means it.
No.3 - Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Selby
Played: 35
Won: 21
Win Percentage: 60%
In terms of style of play and snooker ideology, these two players couldn’t be of a greater contrast, but my word when they do collide it doesn’t half make for compelling viewing.
Ronnie O’Sullivan actually branded mark Selby the 'Torturer’ in his 2013 autobiography, such is the Jester from Leicester’s remarkably dogged and gritty approach to the game, and whilst it wasn’t meant as a compliment, Selby clearly took it as one.
Those traits and characteristics have helped the four-time world champion inflict plenty anguish on O’Sullivan over the years, becoming, and since remaining, the only player to beat the Rocket in all three Triple Crown finals (World Snooker Championship, UK Championship and Masters).
Unlike the sport’s more attack-minded and colourful operators, such as Judd Trump and Neil Robertson, Selby loves nothing more than to grind it out, and clashes between the pair are seldom played on O’Sullivan’s terms.
Against Selby it’s always a true test of O’Sullivan’s character and more often than not, pain is expected.
But, all of that said, and as is the case with every other opponent that the Rocket has faced more than a handful of times, he unsurprisingly still boasts a winning record in clashes between the two - prevailing in 20 of the 32 meetings.
Whilst O’Sullivan-Selby doesn’t carry anywhere near the same longevity as the aforementioned O’Sullivan-Higgins rivalry, there’s absolutely no doubting that it is the professional game’s greatest modern-day rivalry.
Both are all-time greats, but both carry entirely different styles - on and off the table.
Unfortunately, we’ve only been treated to one World Snooker Championship final between the two, and on that occasion, it was Selby’s temperament and guile that overawed O’Sullivan’s flair and flamboyancy; fighting back from a five-frame deficit to secure a stunning 18-14 victory.
Of the nine finals the two have contested, Selby has won six, so how 'The Rocket' would love to improve upon that record during the latter stages of his professional playing career.
