Ronnie O’Sullivan urges ‘phenomenal’ Luca Brecel to make ‘sustained effort where you put the hard yards in’

Ronnie O’Sullivan believes Luca Brecel has enough natural talent to flourish without dedicating his life to snooker, but that a minimum level of commitment must be met.

Brecel openly admitted a loss of motivation was to blame, as he suffered a series of early defeats in ranking events.

He arrived at this week’s Welsh Open with no form to his name, but has played his way into the tournament and delivered a 4-1 win over Graeme Dott to reach the fourth round.

Brecel wrapped up the win with a stunning clearance, which was described as phenomenal by O’Sullivan.

“Phenomenal, brilliant, amazing,” O’Sullivan said of Brecel’s stunning clearance in the final frame of his win over Dott.

“Balls on cushions, potting long blues, white going twice across the table and getting on a red, flicking a red in. He potted some unbelievable balls.

“I have never seen anyone play… his topspin is phenomenal. If he is putting topspin on a ball you fancy him to pot it no matter where it is.

“It’s as if he shortens the gap up between the balls, it’s a bit like an optical illusion that he creates.”

O’Sullivan feels the win over Dott lifted Brecel to become the main contender to win the title in Llandudno.

“The first frames were impressive, but this here [clearance to win the match] says he is the favourite,” O’Sullivan said. “Graeme Dott was putting it on him.

“Some beautiful stuff and after that and his previous performances, with the pedigree now he is world champion, you have to think he is the man to beat.”

O’Sullivan has rated Brecel for some time, and offered words of advice on how to dominate the sport while still enjoying life off the table.

“If I was advising someone like Luca I would say you are never going to be a Stephen Hendry, a Judd Trump where you are living snooker, breathing it. For four months just give me four months of hard practice.

“Off the back of that four months he can take time out and get away with it and not pick his cue up for months, but you have to have a sustained effort where you are living the life three or four hours a day, four or five times a week, playing all the tournaments, take your wins and losses.

“After that, just play when you feel like it. With his talent he can do that, but you have to have a sustained effort where you put the hard yards in.

“If you are not prepared to do that you will get found out.”