Ronnie O'Sullivan

Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is back

Odds: 7.26/1
World Ranking: 28
Last five years: WON/QF/QF/L16/WON
 
After landing a fourth world title 12 months ago with arguably his best ever Crucible performance, snooker's most popular player stunned the sport by opting out of this season's events and only confirmed his title defence a few weeks ago. Some doubt he can pull off a successful comeback, but the reports of his form in practice are very positive and in any case, Ronnie's extraordinary natural talent should carry him through. As always, O'Sullivan's fate will depend less on form than his mindset. If he's genuinely up for a 17-day marathon, he's been handed a nice draw and will take the world of stopping.