Ranking the best players of the 2010’s

A lot has happened in Snooker in the last decade. The sport saw change as it had never seen before, and we know the history after Barry Hearn took charge of World Snooker in 2010.

This 2.0 version of Snooker’s golden years saw the game hit record viewing figures and become a trending global sport. As we near a tournament per week these days, so many names are well known from fans all over the World, and so many different champions are produced on a monthly basis. However, how can we rank them, and see who were the real faces of the sport this decade?

It’s difficult to find arguments or establish a criteria that’s going to be accepted by everyone. But I’ll analyse, mainly, important wins (such as triple crown events and other relevant season tournaments), ranking (looking at consistency), overall titles and I may also find out of the top of my head some not-so-convincing argument that separates a player from another. 

In order to run out of the obvious, I’m gonna start the ranking from top to bottom. It’s gonna be a top 8, which makes it harder for me but also more exciting with the prospect of leaving so many quality players out. (Ps. I’m counting it from the Masters 2010 to the UK Champs 2019)

1. Ronnie O`Sullivan

2. Mark Selby

This is quite the obvious choices I was talking about. Out of 30 Triple Crown tournaments played this decade, Selby and Ronnie shared in between them nothing less than FIFTEEN titles. Could be a few more if they had not met in a few finals here and there, and if Ronnie had not decided to withdraw from a couple. But that’s only ifs.

Selby was World Number 1 for most, or should I say all of the decade virtually, but I have Ronnie in front of him not just because Ronnie won one Triple Crown event more than Selby, but also because eventually he defended each of the Triple Crown tournaments, and we know that despite his rankings, he was always the man to beat whenever he decided to turn up.

3. Neil Robertson

4. John Higgins

Some people may get surprised that Robertson is above John, because of Neil’s form in the last two years (although he’s got better now and just clinched another Champion of Champions title), but throughout the decade he was the one that challenged Ronnie and Selby the most. He was never quite at the same level of the latter two, but from the 2012 Masters to the 2014 UK Championship, a space of nine tournaments (3 seasons!), he was the only players not named Ronnie O`Sullivan or Mark Selby to win ANY triple crown tournament - in fact he won two during that period, with Selby winning three and Ronnie clinching four.

As for Higgins, he doesn’t even need any defense for his fourth place. A World and an UK title early in the decade, apart from quite a few other relevant titles - including a defeat of Ronnie O`Sullivan in the Champion of Champions final -, and then finishing the decade with three consecutive Crucible finals and a World Cup win with Scotland.

5. Judd Trump

Trump was great this decade. He finishes it with the prospect of becoming a Snooker great someday. The snooker he’s playing right now scares people, and I trust he’ll be #1 or #2 if I remake this Ranking in 10 years time. But in the 2010’s it’s fair that he’s fifth.

He was amongst the four players that won the Triple Crown within the decade (along with Ronnie, Selby and Neil) and got to World #1 a couple times - in fact he’s ending the decade at the spot. But anyway the space from 2011 to 2019 without Triple Crown titles was too much to consider placing him any higher in this ranking.

6. Mark Williams

7. Ding Junhui

This was a tough one. I always knew these two would be sixth and seventh, but not sure about the order. My heart would say Ding played better Snooker - he got to World Number 1 even though that was quick, he won a record tier 5 Ranking Tournaments in a season and clinched two triple crown tournaments, the 2011 Masters and the 2019 UK.

However, there were times where Ding was dreadful and even dropped out of the top 16. 

It’s true that Williams also had spells where he looked done, and also dropped out of the top 16 (God, he missed the World’s one year, I just remembered that).

But Williams played quality snooker most times and whenever he showed shadows of his best, he was brilliant. The same happens to Ding, but in the end I picked Williams just because I made a World Title more valuable than two Triple Crown tournaments that took Ding 8 years to win.

8. Shaun Murphy

Did I just say a World Title is more valuable than two Triple Crown tournaments? Then why isn’t Bingham above Murphy? 

The reason why I have Murphy above Stuart Bingham - who won the World Title in ‘15 beating Murphy himself in one of the greatest Crucible runs ever, also won a few other relevant titles such as the Welsh Open and made it to at least the semifinal stage of each triple crown event - is because Murphy is technically a better player, as simple as that.

Throughout most of the decade we’d refer to Murphy as a top 8 player, and although he had spells where he was not playing any good snooker, he was always in the top 16 and when he was on form he neared the unstoppable. Let’s not forget that, when he said that he’d dedicate his efforts to win a Masters title and complete his own Triple Crown, he did that in the “first attempt”, in one of the most dominant Masters runs ever. He beat a favourite Selby in Round one, and then he DESTROYED a prime Neil Robertson 10-2 (!) in the final, a day after Robertson had demolished a prime Ronnie O`Sullivan 6-1 in the semifinals (the only frame Ronnie won he had a century, the other six he just sat and watched!). I mean, the 2015 Masters was, maybe, the highest level tournament in the decade if you consider the form in which the top players arrived, and Murphy won that in his sleep.

In the end, while Bingham had moments of brilliance, Murphy had moments of struggle. But normally through these last ten years, the opposite would be happening.

Another name that I really considered having in 8th was Barry Hawkins. Since he played that great World Final against Ronnie in 2013 he’s been widely regarded as a top 8 player and has been so present in the late stages of the big tournaments that I doubt Murphy or Bingham themselves appeared more on the BBC screens than Barry. But ultimately Hawkins couldn’t quite do it and get a trophy, so the greatness of the others was too much for him. 

My last honourable mention will be Mark Allen. He wasn’t talked about here, but he was the only one apart from the guys I mentioned before that actually won a Triple Crown title. He’s not quite there yet, and I can’t put him in the same page as these guys in the top 8, but he’s starting to show what he’s come for.

Thank you so much for reading. I’m sorry I can’t be coming here so often these days, but I’m still trying my best in our Facebook page. Things will keep busy for me this year but I expect to be able to give a better effort to the blog next season. Happy holidays!!!

Out of curiosity, here’s a different ranking, with Triple Crown wins per player in the 2010’s:

1. Ronnie O`Sullivan (8)

2. Mark Selby (7)

3. Neil Robertson (4)

4. Judd Trump (3)

5. John Higgins (2)

5. Ding Junhui (2)

7. Mark Williams (1)

7. Stuart Bingham (1)

7. Shaun Murphy (1)

7. Mark Allen (1)

The 2010’s had 10 different Triple Crown event winners, with Ronnie O`Sullivan and Mark Selby taking 50% of the total.