Player of the season Mark Allen thriving thanks to weight-loss success says Ronnie O'Sullivan
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Published 16/12/2022 at 22:54 GMT
Mark Allen is in the form of his life. The Antrim man has already won the Northern Ireland Open and the UK Championship, and now he's through to the semi-final of the English Open following a 5-0 whitewash win over Ashley Hugill. Ronnie O'Sullivan believes his hard work away from the table is paying off. Stream the English Open and more top snooker action live on Eurosport and discovery +.
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The in-form Mark Allen is enjoying his finest campaign to date and Ronnie O’Sullivan believes the Northern Irishman is benefiting from the hard work he has put in off the table this year.
Allen has been the player of the season so far, winning the Northern Ireland Open and UK Championship, as well as making the British Open final.
He is now through to the English Open semi-final following a 5-0 whitewash win over Ashley Hugill to set up a meeting with Luca Brecel.
And O’Sullivan believes the driving force behind his success is the remarkable weight that he has lost.
“I think the weight's been a massive thing,” said O’Sullivan in the Eurosport studio.
“I think just energy-wise being able to feel good in yourself. Just moving better around the table. Once you’re moving better your rhythm is better.
“It’s hard being on tour if you're playing a lot of matches, a lot of tournaments. Carrying that weight around can be a hard thing, and I just think he feels lighter in himself.”
Allen revealed that he had lost five stone over the summer and was quick to point out that O’Sullivan had helped to motivate such a transformation.
Earlier this year, he revealed how he spent time speaking to O’Sullivan in Sheffield following his 13-4 defeat to the Essex icon at the Crucible in April when he weighed 19 stone.
O'Sullivan is a fitness fanatic who has used a rigorous running regime since turning professional in 1992 to keep him physically and mentally attuned for the considerable challenges of the green baize over the past three decades.
"I had a good chat with O’Sullivan after we played in Sheffield," Allen explained in August.
"I sat in his hotel room for about an hour, talking about snooker and all sorts of things, he really helped me, it was good.
"He gave me a few pointers. For my health more than anything just to lose some weight, if it helps your snooker so be it, but if it doesn’t it will help your mindset off the table, you’ll be better round your family, round your daughter and he was absolutely right.
"I feel like that has changed my priorities over the summer and maybe why I took such a long break.
"Everything he said has stood me in good stead and I’ve been working hard on it, and hopefully it’ll reap rewards on the table as well."
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