Ronnie O’Sullivan has recommended Luca Brecel follow in the footsteps of Usain Bolt by ‘putting the work in’ after he was recently criticised by Stephen Hendry.
Brecel won the World Snooker Championship in 2023, upsetting the Rocket on his way to securing glory in April last year.
But the 29-year-old’s form has dropped off a cliff in the time since, with the Belgian looking a shadow of his old self.
Brecel’s spot on the tour has come under threat, with the veteran falling to 61st in the provisional end-of-season rankings.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has opened up on Luca Brecel after the snooker star was criticised by Stephen Hendry
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Speaking recently to the Express, Hendry criticised Brecel by saying: “As a snooker player, I cannot buy into what he’s doing.
“Flying in from Majorca between matches as he did during the Northern Irish Open and stuff.
“But then, I don’t know what his priorities in life are.
“Maybe snooker isn’t his priority anymore, and you’ve got to respect that.
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“If that’s what he wants to do, that’s it. You could criticise if he wants to win snooker tournaments, because that’s not the way to do it.
“But if he’s not bothered whether he wins or lose, if he wants to do this Ironman stuff and play snooker as a hobby, then good luck to him.”
O’Sullivan has, however, now provided his verdict.
The snooker icon, who has experienced his own dip in form in 2024, believes Brecel must knuckle down and work hard like Bolt in order to summon the magic of old.
Speaking to Eurosport, O’Sullivan said: “A happy person is normally a happy snooker player, but you have got to put the work in.
“Even Usain Bolt had to put a lot of training in if he wanted to win medals, and he is probably the most talented, gifted specimen of a sportsman there has ever been.
“But if you watch his documentary, he worked really hard.
“If he didn’t, he would not win, and that applies to everybody. Luca has to make his own mind up and where he wants to go in the game.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan has recommended Luca Brecel follow in the footsteps of Usain Bolt by ‘putting the work in’ after he was recently criticised by Stephen Hendry
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“The one thing I will say is rankings are not that important.
“When you have that amount of talent, if you decide to put the work in, you will win tournaments.
“The ball is in his court and only Luca can make those decisions.”
Brecel scooped a massive £500,000 after winning the World Snooker Championship last year.
Luca Brecel has struggled for consistency ever since winning the World Snooker Championship in 2023
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The 29-year-old then immediately splashed half of that sum on a beautiful red Ferrari 488.
However, Brecel has since admitted that he never drives the vehicle – despite how much is set him back.
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