Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is not ready to quit snooker, but doubts he can rediscover sufficient form in order “to go out with a smile on my face”.
The seven-time world champion, 49, has not played on the World Snooker Tour since January and has yet to decide whether to compete at this year’s World Championship, which starts on April 19.
O’Sullivan, currently world number five, has fallen out of love with the sport and after struggling for form has pulled out of five of the last six WST tournaments on medical grounds.
He told the Daily Mail: “I’m not quitting just yet, but I will give myself two years to try and figure it out.
I realise plenty of people who bought tickets to some recent snooker events will have been frustrated when I withdrew, so I just wanted to say sorry to those of you who’ve been disappointed with me having to pull out of those tournaments.
— Ronnie O'Sullivan (@ronnieo147) February 13, 2025
I’ve been trying to prioritise my…
“I don’t want to finish my career feeling like I wasn’t really performing to the level that I know I can.
“I don’t have to win tournaments, but I just want to feel like I’m enjoying the game. I’d like to go out with a smile on my face.”
He continued: “I have to try and repair myself and just try and find how I used to play snooker. It’s a massive rebuilding process and probably the last one I’ll ever have to do as a snooker player.
“Do I think I can do it? Probably not if I’m being honest.
“I think it’s probably a bit too late in my career and I’m probably damaged goods in the form of a snooker player. You take a lot of battle scars over the years. But I’m not prepared to quit at this point because I feel like I would be quitting on a bit of a low.”
O’Sullivan, widely regarded as snooker’s greatest-ever player, last won the World Championship in 2022 when he became the oldest winner of the global crown.
He has won a record 23 Triple Crown titles, including eight Masters titles and eight UK Championship titles.
