Ronnie O’Sullivan says he ‘questioned whether he was ever going to play’ snooker again after 2009-2011 struggles

The Rocket told Rachel Casey ahead of that match that snooker is one of the toughest sports from a mentality point of view, but added that his love of the game pushes him through the tough times.

“I just think my mental strength probably comes from the love of the game more than anything,” began O’Sullivan.

“I just love playing. So even if I’m getting battered, it doesn’t really matter to me, because I think if I start to catch fire, I’m about to start enjoying it again. I just got a love for playing well, you know, and wanting to master this game.”

However, the seven-time world champion also spoke of the hardest time of his career, telling Casey that he was unsure whether he would ever play the game again while he was working through off-the-table issues between 2009 and 2011.

“My worst time was 2009 to 2011,” added O’Sullivan. “But that was more to do with off-the-table issues. But, you know, I kind of started questioning whether I was ever going to play again.”

O’Sullivan was a three-time world champion in 2011, having collected titles in 2001, 2004 and 2008, but would win further world titles in 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022 – famously taking a near year-long sabbatical between his wins in 2012 and 2013.

The 46-year-old has started the 2022/23 snooker campaign as the sport’s undisputed world No. 1 after he conquered the Crucible for a record-equalling seventh time with his latest incredible showing on the biggest stage.

But perhaps surprisingly, O’Sullivan admitted to Eurosport’s Greg Rutherford and Orla Chennaoui that he was forced to go to “dark places” with the triumph and he “hated it” because he had never wanted to do so again.

“It’s a tough event,” he said on the Eurosport podcast. “Up until my fifth one, I would finish it and I could wake up the next day and go ‘I could do that again’.

“When I won it in 2020, I was gone for about 10 days afterwards. The nervous system was kind of like pulverised for 17 days straight.

“It’s not until you have finished that it kind of hits you, and I didn’t like that feeling. I just thought that’s not right, not normal to go through that.

“You are obviously shutting down a lot of emotions during the event, and it just comes out at some point afterwards.

“This year was no different, but I promised myself that I would never go to the dark places the tournament requires you to go to because it is such an endurance test mentally, more than physically.

“I checked out about eight years ago so I kind of play snooker for fun. I am still competitive because I am a competitive person, but I had to dial it down a lot just to enjoy it more for longevity reasons.

“Otherwise, I think if I had never got the enjoyment side of it, I probably would not have done it. So I have found a way to enjoy it, but part of the enjoyment was to not go to those dark places.

“The only reason I did go to the dark places was because we filmed a documentary so I was forced to actually try because the cameras were following me everywhere.

“I just had to give it blood, guts and whatever there was, and that was what I had to do. That is why I hated it because I promised myself I would never go there.

“It just requires a lot of determination and lots of resilience. I’m not hard on myself because I believe in the snooker gods. I always know things are going to be good for me.

“It was just hard. Sheffield is a hard, hard venue. It is a gladiatorial venue. There is a lot of pressure in the build-up. When you are out there playing it is okay – that’s the best place to be.

“That tournament has never really suited me. It is just one of those that you have to do. It is a daunting task, but you can’t shy away from it.”

Asked if he would definitely play at the 2023 World Championship in search of a record eighth title, he said: “I will go, but I will not give blood, sweat and tears.”

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