Ronnie O’Sullivan issues fresh retirement update after snooker icon walked out of match
Ronnie O’Sullivan has set himself a deadline of 2028 to resolve persistent technical problems with his game, warning he will walk away from snooker if he cannot rediscover his natural playing style.
The seven-time world champion, now 50, described the past three years as “pretty awful, confidence-wise” and admitted this represents his “last throw of the dice.”
“I’ll commit to two years and try and work on it so I can prolong my career, basically,” O’Sullivan said.
“Because playing how I was playing or cueing how I was cueing, there was just going to be no longevity in it.”
The Rocket attributed his struggles to a coaching experience that he claims significantly damaged his technique.
O’Sullivan made his competitive return at the World Open in Yushan, where he dispatched Scotland’s Ross Muir 5-1 in the opening round.
The match nearly produced a memorable moment when the world No 12 came agonisingly close to a maximum break.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was bothered by his own attire during his match with Ross Muir
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TNTSPORTSHis attempt at what would have been a record-extending 18th career 147 ended at 113 after the cue ball dropped into the pocket when he fouled on the penultimate black during the fifth frame.
Had he completed the clearance, it would have been the 23rd maximum of his career.
O’Sullivan sealed victory with a break of 114, though the match was not without its distractions.
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A large fly landed on the cue ball during the opening frame, and he briefly left the arena over an issue with his waistcoat’s logo seam.
Speaking to the World Snooker Tour, O’Sullivan revealed the emotional toll of his technical struggles, describing a pattern of fleeting progress followed by setbacks.
“I have a little breakthrough and then it goes and it’s just so frustrating,” he said.
“So, I’m hopeful one day and then I’m really unhopeful the next day.”
The 50-year-old insisted he has been putting in considerable work despite his sparse tournament schedule, stating: “It’s not like I’ve got my feet up while everyone’s playing.
“I’m going to try and get back to my natural instinct of playing and try and re-coach myself in some sort of way with the help of other people. I can’t do it on my own.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan remains one of the biggest names in snooker despite his inconsistent form
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O’Sullivan had competed in just four matches this year before travelling to Yushan last week, where Chinese fans and journalists mobbed him at every turn.
He also enjoyed a hot pot meal with reigning world champion Zhao Xintong.
His next opponent in the last 32 will be Matthew Selt, a fellow Dubai resident.
Despite narrowly missing out on the maximum, O’Sullivan was characteristically dismissive about 147 breaks in the modern game.
“A 147 these days, they are like ten a penny now, I suppose,” he said.
“But it’d have been nice to get one here.”
