Ronnie O'Sullivan is the 4/1 favourite with bookmakers to land a record eighth world snooker title, but the defending champion does not pay attention to any of the pre-tournament hype swirling around Sheffield at this time of year. O'Sullivan has lifted the elite invitational Hong Kong Masters (6-4 against Marco Fu) and Champion of Champions (10-6 against Judd Trump) this season, but has toiled to make an impact in the ranking events with his best returns coming via quarter-final appearances at the UK Championship and Welsh Open.