'Huge' issue made it 'very hard' for Ronnie O'Sullivan to play at World Championship

 One former star has pinpointed why he think the seven-time world champions truggled with his title defence.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was soundly beaten in his semi-final

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been backed to continue challenging the elite after the ‘huge’ problem that cost him dear at the World Snooker Championship. Despite appearing below his best, O’Sullivan’s return to the game after an enforced break appeared to be going well as he made it through to the semi-finals in Sheffield.

However, he was then hammered with a session to spare by the eventual champion Zhao Xintong. The Chinese star took eight consecutive frames to open up a 12-4 lead, and didn’t let up from there as he won 17-7. The 28-year-old was equally impressive in the final, beating Mark Williams 18-12 to claim his first world crown.

O’Sullivan took a number of cues with him to the Crucible, having snapped his own in his last match before the tournament at the Championship League in January. He chose to make a change at 4-4 with Zhao, before the contest swung decisively in his opponent’s favour.

Now, another former champion, Ken Doherty, has argued that it was a crucial moment in his heavy defeat. He told gambling.com: “It's a huge factor (the cue change). When you come to the World Championship, you have to be prepared and you have to be happy with your cue.

Ken Doherty has given his view on O'Sullivan's Crucible campaign.

“So when he came to the World Championship with a few different cues, ferrules, tips - it’s very hard to play under those circumstances. Because it's not the tip itself, it's just what's in your mind about the tip or about the ferrule.”

O’Sullivan reportedly took six cues with him to Sheffield. The BBC pundit argued that it was a clear sign he wasn’t comfortable with his new equipment, adding: “If you're not feeling 100% confident with it, then you're going to miss shots.

“And all those things cloud your mind, cloud your judgment and make you very uneasy, very nervous. I think that's exactly what happened to O’Sullivan in the semi-final. You just can't do it."

However, Doherty also argued the seven-time world champion still has “a lot more to give” to professional snooker. Despite backing Zhao to press on from his sublime win, he said the 49-year-old, and fellow ‘Class of 92’ icons John Higgins and Williams, could still be challengers in the big events