Few sportsmen make winning look so easy and yet have such a troubled relationship with success.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has elevated the sport of snooker to unprecedented levels of beauty over the past 25 years and won everything his heart desires.
Yet when the seven-time world champion talks about how the ‘circus’ of the top competition forces him to explore the dark crevices of his mind, you’re left questioning whether it’s all worth it.
Ronnie O’Sullivan won a record-equalling seventh World Snooker Championship this year
The Rocket finds himself the centre of attention at the Hong Kong Masters last weekend
Glory, but at what cost? It’s a quandary many an elite athlete has grappled with at some stage, even in the most illustrious of careers where adulation flows freely.
Snooker can be a lonely sport. The long hours studying the four walls of hotel rooms in between matches and the longer minutes sat in the corner of the auditorium replaying that missed pot in your head as your opponent remorselessly clears up.
The mental burden can weigh heavily on anyone, especially in the hot spotlight of the major tournaments. There’s an awful lot of time spent alone with your thoughts.
O’Sullivan’s genius has taken the sport of snooker to new heights but he has battled demons along the way
O’Sullivan, 46, who equalled Stephen Hendry’s record of seven World Championship crowns at the Crucible earlier this year, is certainly no stranger to mental demons.
When the Rocket’s genius reaches full thrust he is unplayable but his journey has also plumbed the depths of depression, alcohol and drug abuse.
His seven World Championship triumphs are explored in a new two-part Eurosport show called Seventh Heaven, which premieres this Saturday.
O’Sullivan talks to Alan McManus about his Crucible experiences all the way up to his 18-13 win over Judd Trump in this year’s Crucible final.
‘If you are going to win the World Championships, or win any tournament of that stature, whether it’s golf, tennis, darts, whatever, it does take you to some dark places,’ O’Sullivan tells Sportsmail.
‘Even when I was in my prime in 2012 and 2013, there were some places where you think, “[exhales] that was tough, it was really, really hard to not sabotage and just quit.”
‘When I say quit, I mean give in mentally. In those dark places, it’s where you have to push yourself beyond the comfort zone.
‘When I won the World Championship in 2013, I woke up the next morning and I thought, “that was quite easy, I could go and do that again.”
The 46-year-old is open about the immense pressure on his shoulders at major tournaments
‘But when I won it in 2020, seven years later, I felt drained for days afterwards and the same happened when I won the tournament this year.
‘As you get older, you recover a lot less from experiences and situations like that.
‘I am less prepared to go to the dark places now because I am more interested in having a healthier, happier life.
‘I look at the bigger picture, having a family and friends, the other work I do are much more important than the game of snooker. So it’s a trade-off, picking and choosing my battles.
‘I have a green zone and a red zone. I’m prepared to be in the green zone 80 per cent of the time for the rest of my playing days and step into the red zone only every now and again if the prize gets me excited.’
It was apparent from a young age that O’Sullivan, pictured in 1992, was a snooker genius
O’Sullivan, 19, with the Benson and Hedges Masters after defeating John Higgins in 1995
Never does that red burn so brightly as during those Spring fortnights spent in Sheffield. Going all the way at the Crucible requires not only a consistency of skill but a tunnel vision.
‘Even when I won it in 2001, 2004, 2008, it was always the red zone,’ O’Sullivan says.
‘So that is why I hold my hands up to anyone who wins at Sheffield, anyone who wins a Major at tennis or golf, or the World Championships at darts.
‘With those events, it becomes a circus. You’ve got all the excitement from the crowds, Sheffield becomes a village, there’s the press and media.
‘It’s not like I feel it because I’m the No 1 or the favourite, you feel it because you’re in this environment that is high intensity all the time and you can’t get away from it.
‘The red zone is always the Worlds and sometimes the Masters and the UK Championships – they are the biggest events to play in and the circus comes along with those tournaments.’
O’Sullivan pictured with his mum and sister after winning his second world title in 2004
Confetti litters the table at the Crucible after he beat Ali Carter to win the world title in 2012
Now that O’Sullivan has equalled Hendry’s record of seven Crucible titles, you’d imagine him to be champing at the bit to win No 8. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.
‘It would never have bothered me if I hadn’t got to No 5 really,’ he admits. ‘At four, I was quite satisfied, six was a milestone because I’d matched Steve Davis.
‘But I was never bothered by the records. I never thought at the end of my career I would be defined by what I won.
‘I thought the legacy I left was to be the most exciting snooker player to watch along with Alex Higgins and Jimmy White… and I would win a few tournaments.
‘I managed to do both, which not a lot of people can do.
‘You’re either a Stephen Hendry or a Steve Davis, being a winning machine but you never played the entertaining type of game.
‘Or you’re a Higgins or a White that played the entertaining game but you had to sacrifice winning as much.
‘I would have been more than happy with that written on my tombstone but having equalled Stephen Hendry’s record, I couldn’t wish for more than that.’
O’Sullivan with his son Ronnie Jr after his 2012 win at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield
O’Sullivan has spoken openly about the Crucible fortnight being a difficult one mentally
Despite the prospect of more challenging moments to come, O’Sullivan has roused himself for another season on the circuit.
Over the weekend, he won the Hong Kong Masters – and £100,000 – by beating local favourite Marco Fu in front of 9,000 spectators, the biggest live snooker crowd ever.
Years of experience have taught O’Sullivan to balance the rigours of the sport with the bigger picture of life – and he believes someone is watching over him.
‘I have always believed in the snooker Gods,’ he says.
‘I am not a religious person, I am not a spiritual person – other than taking care of myself and my well-being – but I do believe in the snooker Gods.
‘I do believe that whatever I do, they are kind of being me all of the time.
O’Sullivan with his son Ronnie Jr and daughter Lily after his latest World Championship win
‘They don’t give me the answers all the time but they do always land something on my lap, or they do introduce me to a person who will do a good thing for me.
‘It’s then up to me if I make the most of that opportunity, that relationship, that coach, mind coach, whatever it might be.
‘I still have to do the work but I do believe I am being taken care of in that respect and that filters into every area of my life, whether that’s finding the running community, getting into cooking, finding new hobbies, which help me become better-suited to perform under pressure and help me enjoy my career more.’
And even if O’Sullivan doesn’t give the impression he’s that interest in winning a record-breaking eighth world title, it’s likely a few words to the snooker Gods have been whispered.
Seventh Heaven premieres Saturday at 8pm on discovery+ and Eurosport 1. The Northern Ireland Open is live and exclusive on Eurosport, discovery+ and Quest from October 16th. CLICK HERE for all the discovery+ snooker coverage.
