Ronnie O’Sullivan has little sympathy for his fellow players complaining about conditions at the UK Championship, encouraging them to stop worrying about the table.
Multiple players have struggled to find their best form in York so far in the Triple Crown event, with the likes of Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Mark Williams all saying the conditions were extremely difficult.
The cushions are said to provide unpredictable bounces on the heavy tables and controlling the white ball has been tricky.
O’Sullivan lost in the opening round to Barry Hawkins, but he didn’t point the finger at conditions and has advised his rivals not to either.
‘Everyone is complaining about the tables, but if you hit the ball well, the ball will go exactly where you want it to go,’ said the Rocket.
‘If you’re not hitting the ball well, then you’re going to be chasing it around. You control the table. The table will never ever control you.
‘The conditions are the conditions for all the players. The tables will playreally good, they usually do when they are refitted.
‘I really think you’ve got to get out of this table (criticism). It’s the same for both players.
‘I actually think it’s better when the tables don’t play so good. Because you don’t get so many one visits. You still get some skilful stuff. So a 40 break becomes a real brilliant break in some ways. You know that if I break down, the opponent is probably not going to clear up. You have to play perfect shots.
‘When the table is playing so well, pretty much anyone can take the balls because there’s no skill involved. I like it when they’re a bit heavier, playing a bit harder. Then you have to use your snooker brain – and that’s when you really find out who can play snooker.’
He added on Eurosport: ‘I never really get that when people complain about the conditions, because you’re playing on the same table.
‘It’s not like your opponent has got a great table and you’re playing on a bad table. Or in golf when you go out in the morning and the weather is fantastic and then at 15:00 the weather can change and it’s hailstones. Okay, I get that.
But actually, the conditions are the conditions. It’s about who adapts. You never hear me complaining about tables because I know it’s the same for both of us.’
Trump beat Robertson 6-3 on Tuesday but felt the table did not help him out at all.
Asked if the conditions were the worst he has faced, Trump said: ‘I’ve played in some bad ones, but that’s close.
‘The cushions out there, you can’t ever get them to play that bad on a practice table! So I don’t know what it is. Hopefully they can change them. I think all the players have been struggling.’
Robertson added: ‘To be honest with you the table was pretty much as unplayable as it gets for professional conditions. Being such a tough sport anyway it can make either player look stupid. It was as tough as I’ve ever played.
‘It’s not the table-fitters fault or anything like that, the arena felt fine, I don’t understand. It’s really frustrating because that’s about as hard conditions as I’ve played on as a professional.’
Mark Williams was beaten 6-5 by Stuart Bingham and even the wiliest of veterans couldn’t get his head round the way the table was playing.
‘I couldn’t have made any breaks out there if I was there all night and that’s why I lost,’ he said. ‘They were really tough conditions and he played better than me towards the end.
‘It’s a bit disappointing because I’ve been practicing all weekend up here playing quite good. The practice facilities are absolutely superb but it’s so tough out there.
‘You could put me out there tonight, I could have 10 line-ups on my own and I would never clear them up, ever. It’s tough, but it’s same for the both of us, you’ve just got to adapt.’
A WST spokesperson said of the tables at the Barbican: ‘We always strive to provide the best possible conditions and welcome feedback from players.
‘The recent weather has seen a large volume of rainfall and high humidity around the country. This can negatively influence the conditions.’
MORE: Shaun Murphy into UK Championship quarter-final after ‘awful’ win over Ding Junhui
MORE: Zhang Anda makes UK Championship 147: ‘That was the perfect break!’
MORE: Stephen Hendry makes big Ronnie O’Sullivan prediction amid form struggles
