Kyren Wilson is the reigning World Snooker Champion, but he has named Ronnie O’Sullivan as the best world champion he’s ever faced in his career
Kyren Wilson has hailed Ronnie O’Sullivan as the best snooker world champion he’s ever encountered, leaving the legendary Steve Davis out of his top five ranking. O’Sullivan has had a rocky beginning to 2025, after he was dealt a crushing 17-7 semi-final defeat at the World Snooker Championship by Zhao Xintong.
Following this loss, the Englishman has stated his intentions to head off to the Middle East to “figure out what my future looks like” after some struggles on and off the table.
Despite this, Wilson places O’Sullivan at the pinnacle of his snooker ranking, edging out notables like Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, and notably, six-time world champ Steve Davis – who failed to even make the cut.
The current world champion, who faced an early exit at the hands of debutant Lei Peifan this year, shared his snooker greats list to Sporting Life a year prior.
In particular, Wilson praised Mark Selby’s “fantastic” match play at the Crucible and opted for Mark Williams over the illustrious Davis.
The 33-year-old said: “I’d go Ronnie O’Sullivan number one. I didn’t play Stephen so much, so I’m going to put John Higgins in number two just because I’ve experienced just how tough of a player he is.
“I’d then go with Stephen Hendry number three. Mark Selby number four. He has a great recent record here, fantastic match player, kind of suits this tournament doesn’t he? And then I’ll go number five as Mark Williams.”
Wilson clarified his choice when questioned about snubbing the “legendary Steve”, emphasising that his list is based on personal encounters rather than historical title counts.
“Yeah, again I’ve not had much experience playing Steve,” he said. “I’m going off my knowledge and what I’ve had to experience.
“I think back when Steve was winning, although he was a fantastic champion, maybe the standard wasn’t as high as it is now.
“And you know, those guys I’ve just mentioned, they’re still doing it now when the standard is at its highest.”
