Ronnie O'Sullivan had admitted his game is 'full of mistakes' despite booking his spot in the third round of the Scottish Open. O'Sullivan blitzed Bai Langning 4-0 in his qualifier on Monday, but his task a day later was a much tougher test.
The Rocket just about secured his spot in the next round, after seeing off world No. 44 Ben Woollaston 4-2 in Edinburgh. In spite of his victory though, O'Sullivan gave a damning assessment of his current form.
Admitting he is 'struggling' at the table, he told Eurosport : "Any little mistake can turn a game. I’m full of mistakes at the moment so anything can happen.
“I just want to enjoy it. The less time I spend on the table, the better. I’m not playing well, I’m struggling, which I have been for quite a while. I’m just trying to try when I’m out there and forget about it after that.”
Revealing he is battling to stay 'motivated' while competing, the world No. 1 went on: "I make myself enjoy it. I find ways, like last night I played at 100mph and that gave me a buzz. Tonight I felt like I did what I had to do to get some enjoyment out of it.
"That’s all you can do at this stage in my career. It’s very hard to get motivated sometimes and when you’re playing poor I don’t really enjoy it so I just have to grind it out and have a bit of a grinding mentality.”
Former snooker star Alan McManus sympathised with O'Sullivan, who noted that The Rocket is often able to get by without the motivation needed, due to his sheer talent. "I can understand what Ronnie is saying about being on autopilot almost out there,” McManus said.
“Everyone has ups and downs. He’s able to get by on talent without having to dig in. It’s there but sometimes you’re perhaps not feeling it.” O'Sullivan now turns his attention to Wednesday evening, when he takes on fellow Englishman Gary Wilson for a place in the last 16.
