Search

Newsletter image

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Join 10k+ people to get notified about new posts, news and tips.

Do not worry we don't spam!

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

‘Couldn’t keep going on’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan undecided on playing Snooker World Championship and is ‘SCARED’ to practise

Published on April 03, 2025 at 04:40 PM

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN admits he has felt “scared”; to go near a practice or match table during his enforced snooker break.

In an exclusive SunSport interview, the Rocket, 49, remains undecided if he will play at this month’s World Snooker Championship, which starts on April 19.

Ronnie O'Sullivan of England at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Ronnie O'Sullivan admits he felt ‘scared' to go near a snooker table
Ronnie O'Sullivan at a snooker match.
The Rocket is yet to decide if he will compete at the World Championship
Snooker match in progress; Ronnie O'Sullivan vs. Robert Milkins.
Ronnie snapped his cue at an event in Leicester in January

The decision to appear at the Crucible will hinge on THREE key practice sessions the days before the action starts in Sheffield on Easter Saturday.

He regrets his meltdown in January when he – and he is struggling to find a suitable replacement.

, who has pulled out of FIVE tournaments in 2025, said: “I’ll make a decision when I feel like I’m ready to make a decision. That will be it.

“I know I have nothing to prove. But I was getting to the point where I was scared to even go near a table.

“Not even the match table, just a practice table. And that has been going on for a long time.

“I tried to play through it. I tried and I tried and I tried. I was getting no enjoyment out of it.

“Even that season when I won five tournaments, it was just hard. I couldn’t keep going on struggling.

“At some point you’ve got to try and enjoy the game. I can only enjoy it if I’m playing half decent.”;

O’Sullivan – currently ranked fourth in the Worlds seeding pot – will play another pro over three days and how he feels then will influence his decision whether to appear at the Crucible for a 33rd consecutive year.

The seven-time world champion said: “I’ve got practice sessions booked up on the 14th, 15th and 16th.

“I’ll make a decision after those three good sparring sessions that I have arranged.

“Until then, I’ll be working as hard as I can to try and figure out the problem.

“It’s hard. It’s really hard. I never thought I’d be in this situation where I didn’t feel like I’d have the confidence to go and play to be honest with you.”;

A race against time is on to locate the cue that will make him competitive over 17 gruelling days of action in South Yorkshire.

At the start of this year, after he , O’Sullivan took his equipment and broke it in half – and then stuffed it in the BIN!

His pal Robbie retrieved the cue and O’Sullivan laughed: “Unrepairable. It’s a bit of memorabilia now. It’ll be getting sold off.

“I literally don’t have a cue. I still haven’t found one that I’m comfortable with. Still just trying out different ones. Trying to find one that I like.

“I’ve probably changed my cue maybe four, five times. On two or three occasions, I found one straightaway.

I’m not bothered about winning and losing. I never have been.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

“On the other two occasions, it has taken me sometimes a year to find one.

“I do regret it really. Because it was my cue. It’s hard to find another one.

“What happened was just coming. I have done it before. And it’s not the game, it’s me really.

“I’ve just been struggling for so long now. I just couldn’t do it anymore to be honest with you. I couldn’t. And I’m still struggling now to be honest.”;

O’Sullivan, who turns 50 this year, has , citing “medical grounds”;.

The long-term snooker expert for TNT Sports insists the issues are with his technique and are affecting his ability to strike the ball straight.

He said: “It got to the point where I was struggling with the game. I always call it snooker depression.

“Call it stage fright. Call it whatever you like. It starts to affect you mentally.

‘Couldn’t keep going on’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan undecided on playing Snooker World Championship and is ‘SCARED’ to practise 4

“Listen, that’s why I snapped my cue, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I don’t want to put myself in a situation where I feel like that could happen again.

“I need to find the love for the game, to find that passion.

“I’m not bothered about winning and losing. I never have been.

“I’ve always been more, ‘Where’s my game at?’ If my game is alright, then cool.

“If it’s terrible, I can leave that for one, two, three, four months. But I can’t live for three, four years of struggling and just grinding it out.

“It was just no fun to be honest with you. I’m trying to unravel it.

“If you’d asked me the question, ‘Do you think I’ll ever get to a point where I feel comfortable enough to go and play?'

“Well, the answer two days ago would have been probably ‘maybe’. If you ask me today, after the last two practice sessions, I’d say absolutely not.

“But I’m not going to quit. I definitely won’t quit.”

  • TNT Sports is the new Home of Snooker. Watch the World Snooker Championship, including all qualifying, live on TNT Sports and its streaming home discovery+
Ronnie O'Sullivan walking in a corridor with his cue.
O'Sullivan admitted he has never been ‘bothered about winning and losing'
Ronnie O'Sullivan celebrates with the World Snooker Championship trophy.
He won his seventh world title in 2022
Prev Article

David Umahi arrives in Lagos for urgent intervention on Independence Bridge rehabilitation

Next Article

Your allegation an attempt to mask personal failure – Akpabio fires back at Abbo

Related to this topic:

Comments (0):

Be the first to write a comment.

Post Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *