Ronnie O'Sullivan 'lost hope' as Rocket opens up on mental battle at World Championship
Ronnie O'Sullivan candidly spoke about his mentality going into the World Snooker Championship.
Ronnie O’Sullivan believes that he has made a major stride forward in his mental health battle, after admitting that he had “lost a bit of hope and belief” at the snooker table. The Rocket began his World Championship campaign with a professional 10-1 win over Jackson Page, with the 48-year-old visibly more upbeat about his performances.
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Despite dominating in a season in which O’Sullivan has won five titles already, including two-thirds of the Triple Crown with UK Championship and Masters wins, the seven-time world champion has consistently been dismayed with his performances at the snooker table.
He admitted to reuniting with psychiatrist Steve Peters, who is in attendance at the Crucible this year to help O’Sullivan, who has been demonstrably positive both in the build-up to the showpiece event and his assessment of reaching the last 16.
O’Sullivan has since reflected on the mental battle he has been through over the past 12 months, which forced him to dramatically alter his game and force Stephen Hendry to describe him as a “percentage player” at the Tour Championship.
“I have struggled for so long, two years now, that I lost a bit of hope and belief,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport. “I just lost the will to want to get my cue out of the case. “You could say stage fright, I could not get through the ball. It was disguised as I was winning tournaments.
“People were thinking I was in a great place and I wasn't. For me, winning comes second to hitting the ball well. For me, if you hit the ball well, winning takes care of itself. My game, I feel like I am confident I am going to pot a few balls so the anxiety has left. Coming here I just feel the butterflies, which is normal, and I don’t feel stressed.”
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O’Sullivan treated every shot against Page with the utmost respect, despite being in a commanding lead, with his professional attitude a signal of intent that after a host of top seeds crashed out early, he wants to avoid the same fate and has sights firmly set on a record eighth title.
Another Welshman stands in the Rocket’s way in Ryan Day, though O’Sullivan feels that neither player should be focusing on their opponent after Day’s hard-fought win over Barry Hawkins in the opening round.
“Neither of us should be bothered about playing each other,” O’Sullivan added. “You have just got to play the table, play the balls, play the right shot and play it well. That’s what usually wins the game. The name of the game is to stay in your own lane.”
