Ronnie O’Sullivan says he will be ‘trying his hardest’ to win record eighth World Championship title

Ronnie O’Sullivan says that despite playing it down, he will be “trying [his] hardest” to win the upcoming World Championships.

The world No. 1 is often known for his stoic demeanour and his claims that snooker no longer holds much significance to him.

But after matching Stephen Hendry’s record of seven world titles last year, The Rocket now has a chance to break the record by winning the prestigious trophy at the Crucible Theatre this year.

And the winner of 39 ranking titles and seven Masters crowns has admitted that he does play down his passion for the game, and is hopes of breaking Hendry’s record.

“I try to get a perspective on the game and on my life, and I think that is better now,” said O’Sullivan.

“I don’t want to be defined by snooker, a result, achievements. If they come, great. But yeah, I probably play it down.

“I will be trying my hardest this year, obviously. And I think I have another four good genuine attempts at [winning an eighth world title].

“I do care, of course, I care. I just try to have a better perspective on it. It is a big part of my life, but not all of my life. I am not going to invest everything into it.

“If it happens, great. I don’t have to be fully focused 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Once I put my cue down, I try to forget about snooker and enjoy my life.”

O’Sullivan will be looking to defend his title against a tough field of competitors, including Shaun Murphy who has had an impressive start to his 2023 campaign.

However, no previous Tour Championship winner has gone on to reach the semi-finals at the World Championship.

The outcome of the tournament could also determine who will be crowned the world No. 1 in the upcoming season.

“But obviously you get excited at this time of year, it’s a big tournament,” O’Sullivan said. “You want to get your game right, you want to be feeling going into the Crucible that you have a chance to have a go.

“I am definitely getting excited. Listen, I haven’t done much in the ranking tournaments either this year, so it would be nice to have a good run. You want to be in this one as long as you can.

“The only time I have been surprised when I won it was 2020 – but all the others, no real surprise.

“I thought ‘my game is good, I have a chance here’. Then the other years outside those I have gone there I have thought, ‘hmmm, I am probably going to get found out here’ – and I have been.

“I usually have a good idea before going into Sheffield or very early on in the tournament if it’s there.”

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