Ronnie O’Sullivan Gets Honest About Falling Out of Love With Snooker

Ronnie O’Sullivan Gets Honest About Falling Out of Love With Snooker

 

 

 

Ronnie O’Sullivan has never hidden the complicated relationship he has had with snooker. Across a career spanning more than three decades, the seven-time world champion has repeatedly spoken about the pressures of professional competition, his changing motivation and the moments when he has questioned whether he still wanted to remain in the sport.

O’Sullivan’s relationship with snooker has often been described as a love-hate one. At different stages of his career, the Englishman has talked openly about wanting to walk away, only to return and produce some of the greatest performances the sport has seen.

One of the clearest examples came when O’Sullivan discussed how difficult it could be to maintain the same passion for a sport that had been such a major part of his life since childhood.

Rather than simply viewing snooker as a job, O’Sullivan has explained that his connection with the game is more complicated. He has previously said that the attraction comes from trying to produce the perfect shot and the perfect break, while also acknowledging the frustrations that come with professional competition.

That honesty has become one of the defining features of O’Sullivan’s career.

There have been periods when he appeared increasingly detached from tournaments. In 2021, for example, while preparing to defend his World Championship title, O’Sullivan admitted that he did not share the excitement surrounding his attempt to equal Stephen Hendry’s then-record of seven world titles. He even suggested that he would rather have been involved in the event without having to compete.

Those comments underlined just how dramatically his motivation could change.

Yet O’Sullivan has repeatedly found his way back.

His career has produced seven World Championship victories, with his latest Crucible triumph coming in 2022. In July 2026, he said he believed he had two more attempts at winning an eighth world title and made clear that the ambition remained, although he also indicated that qualifying for the tournament could influence his decision to continue.

That mixture of ambition and uncertainty has followed him for years.

O’Sullivan has also spoken about the mental demands of the sport and how his approach to competition has changed as he has grown older. Instead of obsessing over every result, he has increasingly emphasised enjoying the experience and accepting that not every performance will be perfect.

In a more recent interview, his comments suggested that his relationship with snooker had actually become healthier. Rather than feeling consumed by the pressure to prove himself, he described being able to enjoy the game more and treat it with a lighter attitude.

That represents an important change from some of the darker periods of his career.

O’Sullivan has previously acknowledged that his intense relationship with snooker could contribute to frustration and emotional pressure. His decision to focus more heavily on running and maintaining a different lifestyle also became an important part of his approach to staying competitive.

At 50, O’Sullivan remains one of the most recognisable figures in snooker, but his priorities have clearly evolved. Winning still matters, particularly the possibility of an unprecedented eighth world title, but his comments suggest that enjoyment has become just as important.

For a player who has spent decades repeatedly falling in and out of love with the sport, that may be the biggest change of all.

Rather than chasing perfection at any cost, O’Sullivan now appears more willing to accept the highs and lows that come with being a professional snooker player. His future remains a subject of constant interest, but his own words have made one thing clear: his relationship with snooker has never been straightforward.

And perhaps that complicated relationship is part of what has allowed the Rocket to remain at the top of the sport for so long.