Snooker fans have made their feelings clear with a player who seriously impressed Ronnie O’Sullivan in danger of losing his tour card.
O’Sullivan is widely considered as the greatest snooker player of all-time and previously heaped praise on one of his competitors who has suffered a serious downturn in fortunes.
Luca Brecel won the 2023 World Championship with a victory against Mark Selby but the 29-year-old is currently at risk of losing his Tour card.
Advert
O’Sullivan labelled Brecel the most talented player he’d ever seen after losing to him at the quarter-final stage.
He told BBC Sport: “He played unbelievable.He's such a good player, I love watching him play. His cue action, he gets through the ball so well. It's incredible. The whip he gets on the white, the top spin, the thud he hits the ball with. He's such a dynamic player, probably the most talented snooker player I've ever seen. I'd love to see him go and win it because that's how snooker should be played. He's a phenomenal talent and player."
After a disappointing run of form, the Belgian is ranked 56th in the end-of-season rankings and he needs to be above the top 64 cut-off point. His World Championship prize money will also be removed from his points total which puts him at serious risk of dropping into Qualifying School.
Advert
Brecel was beaten 4-1 by Pang Junxu at the Northern Ireland Open after opting to fly into the country shortly before the match started.
His performances have left snooker fans concerned and questioning how his form has fallen off a cliff so drastically.
One fan on Reddit said: “He's always been like this. I honestly think he just devoted himself to winning the Worlds and then went back to how he normally is. You can tell snooker isn't his life.”
Another wrote: “He achieved what he wanted and took his foot off the gas. He was always a streaky player.”
Advert
A third said: “Between matches he's been travelling back and forth between Belfast and Majorca so you can see how seriously he's taking his snooker.”
The world no.6 is not concerned at the possibility of dropping back into Qualifying School and would view the demotion as a challenge.
He told BBC Sport: “I'm playing well enough - it's just about bringing my practice game to the match table, then I'll be OK. I just need to get on a run, that will come.
Advert
"I'm not worried about losing my Tour card as I would see it as a challenge to be in Qualifying School.
"I'd love to play in Q School one day so maybe this is the right time. Obviously, I'd love to stay on Tour as well so I'll try my best. For now, I'm heading back to Majorca, I don't know for how long."
Topics: Snooker, Ronnie OSullivan, World Snooker Championship
Marcus Banks