Welsh star Dominic Dale has highlighted the parts of game that make him a "very intimidating" character to face.

Seasoned vet Dale turned professional alongside O'Sullivan in 1992 and is well-acquainted with his opponent's quirks. 'The Spaceman' has managed to extinguish 'The Rocket' just once in their 12 meetings to date, though they haven't faced off since the 2021 Scottish Open.

Commentator and presenter Dale, 53, might fare better in their rivalry these days, given O'Sullivan's recent struggles to find his top form. But the Welshman spared no expense when highlighting the mental effect Ronnie can have on his opponents.

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"Ronnie’s the only player that I can ever say I found intimidating to play against," said the 1997 Grand Prix champion on the "Not just his style of play, because he can wipe you off the table in no time. It’s just because he’s such a character.

"He’s a very aggressive person, Ronnie. In life generally, as well as on the table, and you feel that. It comes through when you’re playing him and you’re sat in your chair. If you make a mistake and he makes an 80-odd [break] in no time at all, it is frightening.

"You think, 'Jeez, I can do this on the practice table, probably at half the speed, but I’m never likely to play with this much freedom in a match', and he can really embarrass you."

Dale - who also won the 2007 Shanghai Masters - continued to praise The Rocket for his ability to turn a match on a dime and quickly make a "difficult game look impossible." And that risk of things shifting so suddenly makes O'Sullivan "very intimidating."

Many other snooker players would likely concur with that analysis of O'Sullivan's play and the effect he can have. Not that fans have witnessed it much lately, following a string of withdrawals from competitions this year.

The seven-time champion recently in Hong Kong on medical grounds. O'Sullivan later withdrew from six other tournaments, including the Masters, German Masters and Welsh Open earlier this year.

His last competitive appearance came at the Championship League in January, where he intimidated for entirely different reasons. The snooker icon snapped his cue in frustration en route to defeat against Robert Milkins, and fans haven't had much opportunity to see him at his best since then.

Given The Rocket can no longer take part in the Players Championship and Tour Championship events this month, his next eligible contest will be the World Snooker Championship in April. Dale will be among those hoping to see his old adversary back at the peak of his powers, having lost some of that intimidating lustre of late.