In the World Snooker Championship, which ended in the early morning of May 3, 2022, Beijing time, O'Sullivan defeated Trump 18-13 to win the seventh world championship and became the only player in snooker history to win seven sets of Grand Slams. O'Sullivan, meanwhile, set a new individual ranking record, and he's just one step away from Davis' total 75 titles. After O'Sullivan won the 2022 World Championship, he also surpassed the oldest World Championship record set by Enshi Ray Lilton, and at the same time, he also managed to lock in the year-end world number one ranking.
O'Sullivan has surpassed Hendry across the board
Since O'Sullivan reached his peak, the debate over which is greater, O'Sullivan and Hendry, has not stopped. However, with O'Sullivan's seventh world championship crown, it was all finally settled, as O'Sullivan had surpassed Hendry across the board. As of now, O'Sullivan has led Hendry 74-70 overall, Hendry 21-18 in the three major tournaments, Hendry 7-5 in the British Championships and Hendry 7-6 in masters. In addition, O'Sullivan also led Hendry's 770 hundred with a 1167-shot break, while O'Sullivan also led Hendry's 11-stroke 147-point score of 15. And O'Sullivan, who has won the championship for 28 consecutive years, has become the only one in the taiwan world, and objectively speaking, O'Sullivan has surpassed Hendry in an all-round way.
The debate over the greatest players is over
As O'Sullivan himself said, he, Higgins and Mark Williams experienced some of the toughest moments on the world stage. When he first debuted, he had to challenge the authority of legendary players such as Davis, Hendry and White, and when he grew up, he also had to face the challenges of players such as Higgins, Mark Williams, Stevens, McManus and Hunter. After entering the 21st century, he needs to face the rising power of the post-80s, that is, face the pressure from Robertson, Selby, Ding Junhui, Murphy and other players. And now, he needs to face the backbone of young players. In fact, O'Sullivan experienced the most brutal era of competition in snooker history. However, he still fulfilled the glory and achievements that Hendry had never achieved in his own era of rule, and it was on this basis that the debate over the greatest player was over. Hendry's seven World Championship titles have been equalised by O'Sullivan, and today O'Sullivan has become the only symbol of snooker.
O'Sullivan's legend continues
After O'Sullivan won his seventh world title, Jimmy White was convinced that O'Sullivan would continue to do wonders and that the first man in snooker history would not stop there. The honor of the seven sets of Grand Slams is obviously unprecedented, and it is difficult to say whether there will be any comers in the back. For years, we've been exploring where O'Sullivan's limits lie. However, he seems to have been telling us with practical actions that his limit is to constantly challenge his limits. When you feel like he's old enough to be unable to play anymore, he might give you a very loud slap with his performance in the game. The 39th and 21st titles in the three tournaments have become O'Sullivan's unique logos, and it will be difficult for anyone to replace him. O'Sullivan, who is almost 47 years old, is still the world number one player, and his performance has even surpassed robertson and Trump, the two backbones of the stage. Therefore, the world championship victory is not the end of the legend for O'Sullivan, but the beginning of his new legendary road.