In a hoot of an honest interview, O’Sullivan told the BBC in Belfast: “I don’t really have the passion and desire for it [snooker]. I give it what I feel like it deserves. If I had to choose to do this I wouldn’t. I don’t care any more.”
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He added: “The job ain’t worth the stress and the hassle. Sometimes a loss is a blessing in disguise, it just allows me to do other stuff.”
🗣Ronnie O’Sullivan is planning some time to 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙭 after a shock defeat to David Grace at the Northern Ireland Open#NIOpen | @discoveryplusuk pic.twitter.com/1WbyT0FThW
— Eurosport (@eurosport) October 19, 2022
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In recent times, O’Sullivan had lost to lower-ranked Swiss, Alex Ursenbacher in the first round of the British Open, before going on to beat Marco Fu in the final of the Hong Kong Masters. The 7-time champion, 46, had lost to Judd Trump 9-7 in three consecutive Northern Ireland Open finals between 2018 and 2020 and lower-ranked Swiss player Alex Ursenbacher in the first round of the British Open in September, before going on to beat Marco Fu in the final of the Hong Kong Masters.
Breaks of 57, 94 and 64 from the Englishman were his undoing, and “although O’Sullivan took a scrappy sixth frame to level, his opponent held his nerve to win the decider,” the BBC described his latest outing.
The legendary Irishman would tell BBC: “I’ve got a rule, I don’t really talk about any of my matches, I leave it out there, it is what it is.
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“I let others analyse and criticise while I move on and have a bit of lunch.
The game’s greatest ever said he took from snooker what he could.
He told BBC: “If I can play one good tournament a year that will do for me, cut the mediocre ones. That’s enough really. I quit mentally about eight years ago and I just take what I can from the sport. It’s a good platform for me, allows me to do other stuff and gives me a lot of freedom.
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“As far as winning goes or cementing my name in the game there isn’t enough good stuff in the game to get excited about.
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“One day I’ll wake up and get excited and play a good tournament, but if I don’t I don’t really care any more. I’ll pot a few balls, get paid, it’s just become like an emotionless-type job. I just make it work for me.”
Working as a TV pundit, he added: “I wouldn’t even play in the tournament if I wasn’t working for Eurosport. I wouldn’t play, wouldn’t do it at all. The game doesn’t interest me, the events don’t interest me, the calendar doesn’t interest me, just making a business out of it kind of interests me.
“I’ve earned that right, really. I can do what I like when I like, and if I never win another match I think I’ve earned the right to do it my way.”
