Ronnie O'Sullivan's abiding brilliance is owed to his remarkable work rate off the table - much-loved snooker star Tony Drago claims.
The Rocket is world no.1 and world champion, making him the man to beat as he approaches his 47th birthday after three decades of marvelling fans of the sport. O'Sullivan defeated rival Judd Trump to claim his fourth Champion of Champions title last week and heads to York as favourite to win an eighth UK Championship.
Despite his status as the greatest ever player, O'Sullivan often frustrates his large fanbase with an apparent ambivalence to the sport that many consider him a genius in.
But former professional Drago, known for his own swashbuckling and enterprising style during his time on tour, has insisted that the irrepressible O'Sullivan is still driven by his own targets in snooker and is determined to achieve more.
Seven-time Crucible king O'Sullivan is a keen runner and fitness-fanatic, and Drago believes such endeavours away from the game are making him unstoppable on the table, as his incredible longevity at the elite level continues.
"Ronnie deserves what he gets, with hard work, his running," the 57-year-old told Metro.co.uk. "Don’t be fooled by Ronnie when he says it’s a holiday, we know who’s the greatest, but he will still want another world title to be on his own on eight.
‘He will play it down, but I know he wants that, and he will get it, it’s only six months to go to the Worlds and nobody is near him! I’m not saying he will definitely win the next one guaranteed. But who is close to him? Nobody."
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher recently listed O'Sullivan in his top three sportsmen of all time, but Maltese favourite Drago has gone a step further, claiming he is the best ever based on his sheer level of talent with cue in hand.
"For me, Ronnie is the most talented sportsman, not snooker player, but sportsman of all time," Drago added. "He might not be as tough mentally as a (Tiger) Woods, because Ronnie can sometimes go off the rails mentally, but talking about pure talent, there’s no one with as much.
"Ronnie is mentally strong, I don’t think he has a problem being mentally strong, he has had a problem being mentally disciplined, that’s different. Ronnie, if he plays another three years, he will definitely win another one, maybe two more world titles. If he’s on nine, he’ll go for 10!"
