O’Sullivan lacks ‘passion and desire’ for snooker

Ronnie O’Sullivan says snooker has “become like an emotionless-type job” after his second-round defeat by David Grace at the Northern Ireland Open.

“I don’t really have the passion and desire for it [snooker]. I give it what I feel like it deserves,” O’Sullivan told the BBC in Belfast on Wednesday.

“If I had to choose to do this I wouldn’t. I don’t care any more.”

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.”

O’Sullivan lost to 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.

The 46-year-old lost to Judd Trump 9-7 in three consecutive Northern Ireland Open finals between 2018 and 2020.

Trump also exited this year’s tournament at the second-round stage, going down 4-1 to Cork’s Aaron Hill on Tuesday.

O’Sullivan raced into a 2-0 lead against his fellow Englishman but Grace fought his way back into the match with breaks of 57, 94 and 64, and although O’Sullivan took a scrappy sixth frame to level, his opponent held his nerve to win the decider.

“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,” said reigning world champion O’Sullivan.

“I let others analyse and criticise while I move on and have a bit of lunch.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

O’Sullivan is also working as a television pundit in Belfast, and despite his indifference about his own performance he describes the Waterfront as “a great venue”, the crowd as “unbelievable” and the event “brilliant”.

“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,” he said.

“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.

Also on Wednesday, former winner Mark Williams defeated Jimmy Robertson 4-2 in round three, with Neil Robertson accumulating three centuries as he saw off John Astley at the same stage.