Assess the current form of the top players
I'll get us started just with a couple of thoughts in light of the recent UK Champs final.
Ronnie:
Still playing well but by his own admission in a recent interview, clearing up less and less often in one visit than he was doing 1-2 years ago. He has lost some fluency in his breakbuilding, at least as things stand and is not currently on the up. Having said that, he's still winning Major titles. I can't help but wonder if Ronnie is now slowly declining and will continue to have to cling on but these thoughts are inevitable when one remembers how long he has been a pro for, and it was only very recently that he produced some of the highest standards of snooker one could ever wish to see at the CoC 2014.
Judd:
On the rise in a big way. He's constantly speaking about wanting to improve, wanting to work hard and reach perfection and I think it's plainly obvious in how he's currently playing the game. Tactically he is continuing to improve, he's scoring very heavily and consistently and he's starting to find consistently impressive results on a tournament by tournament basis.
Ding:
Seems spiritually empty at the moment after his simply mammoth season last year. As good as his season was, he won none of what are typically considered the traditional Snooker Majors. He needs a pick-me-up emotionally -- the form is still there.
Selby:
He's gone through a lot recently (of very positive life changes) and has reached the pinnacle of the sport. It's hardly surprising he's having a letdown at the moment, though the question is: is it just temporary or did he reach the top of the mountain and he's going to steadily be on the way back down? I flip flop on Selby all the time. Sometimes I think his style is too difficult to constantly maintain and expect amazing results from and at other times I think his snooker base is so solid and his tactical vision is so outstanding, that he has a reliable platform to find good form for many years to come.
Ronnie:
Still playing well but by his own admission in a recent interview, clearing up less and less often in one visit than he was doing 1-2 years ago. He has lost some fluency in his breakbuilding, at least as things stand and is not currently on the up. Having said that, he's still winning Major titles. I can't help but wonder if Ronnie is now slowly declining and will continue to have to cling on but these thoughts are inevitable when one remembers how long he has been a pro for, and it was only very recently that he produced some of the highest standards of snooker one could ever wish to see at the CoC 2014.
Judd:
On the rise in a big way. He's constantly speaking about wanting to improve, wanting to work hard and reach perfection and I think it's plainly obvious in how he's currently playing the game. Tactically he is continuing to improve, he's scoring very heavily and consistently and he's starting to find consistently impressive results on a tournament by tournament basis.
Ding:
Seems spiritually empty at the moment after his simply mammoth season last year. As good as his season was, he won none of what are typically considered the traditional Snooker Majors. He needs a pick-me-up emotionally -- the form is still there.
Selby:
He's gone through a lot recently (of very positive life changes) and has reached the pinnacle of the sport. It's hardly surprising he's having a letdown at the moment, though the question is: is it just temporary or did he reach the top of the mountain and he's going to steadily be on the way back down? I flip flop on Selby all the time. Sometimes I think his style is too difficult to constantly maintain and expect amazing results from and at other times I think his snooker base is so solid and his tactical vision is so outstanding, that he has a reliable platform to find good form for many years to come.
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NNear - Posts: 1033
- Joined: 01 March 2014
- Snooker Idol: OSullivan SDavis