And yet ‘the Rocket’ has appeared anything but content with his all-round play. After his second round 4-3 win over Yuelong Zhou, he hinted at retirement, saying: “I’m not sure snooker is my purpose anymore.” He also said he isn’t currently enjoying tournaments.
“I can’t fathom it out,” he told ITV. “I’ve got to really consider whether I can continue feeling how I’m feeling out there. I just don’t get any enjoyment from the way I’m hitting the ball.”
And despite appearing to go up a gear against Wilson, again he was downbeat afterwards, implying it is only results stopping him from hanging up the cue. “I haven’t played well since I won the world title in 2022, it is worrying because since I had my arm injury I have not cued well,” he said.
“Technically I must be one of the worst players on the tour, but it’s not just down to technical ability, otherwise Neil Robertson would win every tournament. There are other parts of the game I am blessed with that I don’t even recognise I am good at.
“I think I’m a good all-round player, my bad game is still a high standard – it must be because I have won tournaments without being at my best. That’s probably my greatest asset. I play the right shot at the right time, get aggressive when I need to, and defensive when I have to.”
O’Sullivan lamenting his own game and hinting at walking away is of course nothing new to snooker fans. The all-time great has frequently fluctuated with his stated plans in the past decade. He remains the clear favourite to win a record-breaking eighth world title at the Crucible in May.
His next challenge however, will be a semi-final clash with Ding Junhui on Saturday at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. It’s a repeat of the UK Championship final in December, which O’Sullivan won 10-7.
The pair also met in the 2018 final of the Grand Prix, a game the Englishman dominated to prevail 10-3. The winner will meet Judd Trump in Sunday’s final.
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