Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is still trying to resolve technical problems that he has described as a “disease” in his snooker game after his run at the Wuhan Open ended with a 6-3 semi-final defeat by Chang Bingyu.
The 50-year-old seven-time world champion has spoken openly during the tournament about his difficulties, saying he has been playing with “zero confidence” despite reaching the last four. His comments refer to problems with his own game and should not be understood as a medical diagnosis.
O’Sullivan had produced some encouraging results in Wuhan before the semi-final. He defeated Stephen Maguire 5-2 in the last 16, including a century in the final frame, before beating Mark Selby 5-3 in the quarter-finals. Against Selby, O’Sullivan recovered from 2-0 down and described his performance as his best of the season so far.
However, he remained concerned about the consistency of his technique.
Speaking after the quarter-final, O’Sullivan said he was spending significant time practising and trying to work out how to overcome what he called technical issues. He said the problems had made him question whether he could return to the level he had previously reached.
“I’m playing with zero confidence but I’m working hard on my game,” O’Sullivan said, according to Sky Sports. He added that he was trying to figure out how to get out of his current difficulties.
Those concerns were again evident in the semi-final against Chang.
O’Sullivan fell 2-0 behind before recovering to level the match at 2-2. He then moved within one frame of Chang at 4-3, but was unable to complete another comeback. Chang took advantage of further opportunities to win 6-3 and reach the final.
The highest break of the match was Chang’s 73, while O’Sullivan made breaks of 82 and 58. The result ended the Englishman’s hopes of reaching the Wuhan Open final.
After the defeat, O’Sullivan again used the word “disease” to describe the problem affecting his game. He said: “The disease came back big time today,” before adding that he was not sure he would ever completely overcome it.
O’Sullivan also indicated that he intends to continue playing for at least another 18 months before reassessing his future. He said he did not want to “throw the towel in” and wanted to give himself an opportunity to improve.
That does not amount to a confirmed retirement date. Rather, his comments suggest that he currently sees the next 18 months as a period in which he will try to determine whether he can rediscover a satisfactory level of performance.
The timing of the comments is significant because O’Sullivan has not won a ranking tournament since the World Grand Prix in January 2024. His last world championship victory came in 2022.
There is also uncertainty over his immediate schedule. The World Snooker Tour confirmed after the Wuhan Open that O’Sullivan had withdrawn from the British Open for medical reasons. No further details about the medical reason were established in the reports cited here, so it should not be assumed that the withdrawal is connected to the technical problems he has described in his snooker.
For now, O’Sullivan remains committed to trying to improve rather than announcing his retirement. His performances in Wuhan showed both sides of his current situation: he was capable of reaching a ranking-event semi-final and defeating an established rival such as Selby, but he also remained frustrated by inconsistencies that he believes have affected his game for several years.
The next stage of his career will therefore depend largely on whether he can find a way to manage or correct the technical difficulties he has identified himself. For O’Sullivan, the problem is not necessarily a lack of ability, but whether he can regain enough confidence and consistency to compete regularly at the level he expects from himself.
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