Veteran snooker player Dominic Dale has named Ronnie O'Sullivan as the most intimidating opponent he has ever faced during his career.
Speaking on the Snooker Scene podcast, Dale revealed how the seven-time world champion's formidable presence affected his performance.
"Ronnie's the only player that I can ever say I found intimidating to play against," Dale admitted.
The Welsh star, who turned professional alongside O'Sullivan in 1992, has competed against the 'Rocket' on 12 occasions.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been deemed 'aggressive' by his style of play
PA
Dale described how O'Sullivan's combination of rapid play and aggressive personality created a daunting atmosphere both at the table and away from it.
Dale explained the intimidation factor went beyond O'Sullivan's playing style.
"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," Dale said.
The psychological impact was particularly evident after making mistakes against O'Sullivan.
"If you make a mistake and he makes an 80-odd [break] in no time at all, it is frightening," Dale revealed.
He described how O'Sullivan's brilliance could make the game seem impossible.
"All of a sudden he can make a difficult game look impossible. You can be 3-0 down in no time."
O'Sullivan has dominated the rivalry between the two players since their first meeting.
Their initial clash came during qualifying for the 1993 World Championship.
Since then, O'Sullivan has won all but one of their encounters on his path to becoming one of snooker's greatest players.
Dale, 53, has claimed two titles during his career and reached his highest world ranking of 19th in 2000.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been out of action recently with health issues
PA
His sole victory against O'Sullivan came at the 2019 World Open in China.
The psychological impact of facing O'Sullivan was significant for Dale, who struggled with the mental aspect of their matches.
Dale admitted it took considerable time to overcome his mental block when facing O'Sullivan.
"It took me a long, long time to get over the intimidatory factor that Ronnie always has," he said.
Ronnie O'Sullivan can rack up rapid scores against you, Dominic Dale admitted
PA
The breakthrough came relatively recently in his career.
"It's only the last five or six times I've played Ronnie, that I've actually played the player and not the person," Dale revealed.
He acknowledged how being overawed affected his performances.
"I have beaten him in China and I've lost a couple of close matches and it's nice to play a little bit against him because sometimes I have played Ronnie and just been completely inept because I've been completely overawed playing him."
