Kyren Wilson is not discounting the threat Ronnie O’Sullivan poses as he eyes history at the World Snooker Championship.
The reigning champion is looking to defend his title at the Crucible this month.
GettyWilson is the defending world champion[/caption]
Wilson enters the tournament as the top seed having won his maiden crown last year.
After beating Jak Jones in the final 12 months ago, the Warrior could achieve another first this time around.
Since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977, no returning champion has successfully defended their title.
Meanwhile, Wilson will also face the threat of seven-time world champion O’Sullivan.
Despite the Rocket’s absence from competitive action in recent months, the 33-year-old believes he is ‘still very hungry’.
Wilson told talkSPORT: “He’s obviously more than capable. He did it after having a year off and came back and won the World Championships. He’s that good.
“I think it’s key that obviously he keeps himself in good shape and he’s still very hungry to win.
“You certainly can’t write that man off.”
O’Sullivan has not played competitively since appearing in the Championship League back in January.
His absence from the tour leaves him just 31st in the world on the one-year rankings.
Having cited ‘medical grounds’ for his string of tournament withdrawals, it’s unclear whether O’Sullivan will compete in Sheffield.
A lack of appearances means the 49-year-old did not qualify for either of the Players or Tour Championships.
Wilson could also face a challenge from world no.1 Judd Trump this month.
The Kettering-born cueist added: “You would probably have to say so [he’s his number one rival]. He’s at world number one and I’m world number two.
“We’ve played three finals this season, so it tells you all you need to know at the moment.
“We’re probably the two most in form players of the season, but there’s still so many top, top players around that have also won events.
“Neil Robertson came back to form and won a couple of big events.
“There’s Mark Selby and then you’ve got the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan who hasn’t played for a little while. So you never know what he’s got up his sleeve.”
The 2025 World Snooker Championship main draw gets underway on Saturday and runs through to the final on May 5.
