There is a thought-provoking quote trotted out in the latest season of HBO black comedy drama series The White Lotus that could easily be used in reference to the dramatised seasonal challenges of the white ball.
Identity is a prison. No one is spared this prison. Rich man, poor man, success or failure. We build the prison, lock ourselves inside, then throw away the key.
When your perceived identity hinges on trying to live up to the great expectations of former glories, it is little wonder that some figures struggle when the masterplan suddenly goes off-piste.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has rightly prioritised his “health and well-being” rather than commit to the considerable stress of competitive play, citing “medical reasons” for his ongoing absence from the sport.
He continues to prefer time spent away from the demands of the professional circuit after withdrawing from the World Open in Yushan – live on Eurosport and discovery+ from February 23 to 1 March – where he was due to face Stuart Carrington on Sunday morning.O’Sullivan’s frustrations boiled over at the Championship League in Leicester last month when he smashed his cue in a fit of pique and promptly withdrew from the defence of his Masters title at London’s Alexandra Palace.
In hindsight, he probably regrets his tantrum after being left cueless before opting out of his tournament opener with fellow Class of ’92 member John Higgins, but the timeless sensation of being wise after the event is a lot older than the Ally Pally.
These things tend to just crop up in snooker from time to time due to the agonising nature of the game and its natural propensity to torment and titillate. Sometimes all at once. Sometimes on the same shot.
“He’s underhit that, he’s short of the baulk cushion, he’s got a good white, he can make that plant, he’s not opened the pack, he’s played that well…” On and on goes the fractious vocal mood music to the evergreen beat of the white.
Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and decades of risk and reward, of despair and delight and ultimately success and failure on the fine margins of good fortune, bad luck and ultimately, a decent run of the ball.
Beyond the angst of Rocket Ronnie, it can leave every man or woman in waistcoats feeling like they are stuck in a bind.
If your own expectation levels do not fulfil you, the darkened environs of a gloomy green baize can quickly close in upon you, leaving players imprisoned, alone with their thoughts.
‘Stage fright’
It is little wonder that O’Sullivan, the snooker GOAT, a perfectionist and a performer as much as a player, chooses to step back from the game at times.
It is one thing playing exhibition matches for money, quite another to confront the inner demands of achieving technical perfection under the spotlight of legacy matches built to highlight imperfections.
Even more so when you are constantly fighting a losing battle in a sport that is impossible to perfect. No matter how much you try.
At the peak of his powers, the great English golfer Nick Faldo once tried to dominate golf by reinventing his swing in the 1980s. His book was even dubbed In Search of Perfection, but carting off six major titles could never dissuade him from the feeling that he left shots at glory on the fairways of his mind.
Snooker’s impossible dream is seeking perfection in a sport built to expose human frailties and failure.
“I think Ronnie might have a little bit of stage fright because he looks like he’s going to play in The Masters, then pulls out 48 hours before. Same situation here [at the Welsh Open],” said Eurosport pundit Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White, a man who could provide the mental manual on snooker’s somewhat cruel ability to destroy all remaining hope with spirit-crushing defeats in six world finals.
“I think he’s always a perfectionist, he’s got a new cue. If he’s going to play, I think he wants to perform.”
‘Chess with balls!’ – O’Sullivan, McManus and Selby in must-watch mental health discussion
Video credit: Eurosport
When he performs, he remains devastating. O’Sullivan produced a flawless display against Ding Junhui on his way to winning the World Grand Prix in Leicester a year ago.
He dismantled Ding 6-1 in the semi-finals in just over an hour with awe-inspiring breaks of 135, 128, 78, 90, 128 and 125 before usurping Judd Trump 10-7 in the final to claim his 41st and so far final ranking event victory of a professional career running for 33 years.
“I’ve seen it, and I don’t believe it. It was mind-boggling,” said Eurosport pundit Alan McManus after his display against Ding. “It was one of those ‘I was there’ nights because frankly, it cannot get any better than that.”
‘Frustrating and tiring’
Even on such heavenly occasions, O’Sullivan continues to cut a dissatisfied customer. So his decision to shy away from competitive strain when all is not well is not difficult to understand.
“It’s hard because when I’ve said what I’ve said this week, that I’m not bothered if I win or lose,” he said after his win over Ding.
“People pay good money to come and watch. Sometimes it is hard to keep the stamina and it’s tiring. No matter what I say or how I feel, I always put on a professional display mentally.
“I don’t want people to think I’m not trying. It is tough.”
World No. 24 Jack Lisowski, who has based his technique on O’Sullivan, described the Essex man as a “god” for what he has given to snooker since turning professional in 1992 by lifting seven world titles, eight Masters, eight UK Championships, five Shanghai Masters and four Champion of Champions.
Watch O’Sullivan’s best shots of 2024
Video credit: Eurosport
“He’s just a god, isn’t he?” said Lisowski. “He carried the game for the last 20 years. He’s one of the most exciting British sportsmen ever.
“Here at the Welsh Open – I think I was like 12 – I cut my arm really bad on a glass door and I had it in a sling. He beat someone 5-0 and then he signed it after. I was buzzing.
“[O’Sullivan] is closely followed by John Higgins. He was my idol when I was growing up for several years.”
A glowing tribute from Jackpot, but it partly explains why O’Sullivan is not in the game as a tribute act.
The British Open, Northern Ireland Open, Shoot Out, Scottish Open, German Masters and Welsh Open were always likely to make way, with his focus appearing to centre around tournaments in Asia and lucrative exhibition opportunities.
He is due to begin his World Grand Prix title defence against Si Jiahui in Hong Kong next month, but an appearance in his recently adopted home city must be in some doubt with his last appearance at a ranking event coming at the UK Championship in November.
After an impressive 2023/24 campaign saw him win five events and earn over £1.2m in prize money, the world No. 4 has picked up £265,600 in earnings so far, with semi-final appearances at the Shanghai Masters and Xi’an Grand Prix and a quarter-final run at the Saudi Arabia Masters his best performances.
‘Takes your soul’
Maintaining optimum focus is difficult in the modern era. So time to reset is probably part of the deal if you are aspiring to perfection or winning ugly.
O’Sullivan took a year off between his world title victories in 2012 and 2013 while he also went over two years without winning a ranking event before lifting the German Masters with a 9-7 win over Stephen Maguire in 2012.
Any onlooker who wonders why men like O’Sullivan can get fed up with their calling in life, should have piped themselves into a hoary old Welsh Open quarter-final between Mark Selby and John Higgins on Friday lunchtime.
A match that began shortly after 12pm on Friday with both men exchanging smiles ended at 6pm with the pallor draining as slowly from the cheeks as the average shot time ran to 30 seconds.
Selby staggered over the line in a match that could have gone either way on his path to claiming a second Welsh Open title, 17 years after the first of his 24 ranking titles.
“This is a sport that has given me so much over the years, but it begins to take your soul bit by bit,” said Higgins.
“This has been a good sport for me, but as you fall down the rankings, it can begin to take that bit of goodness. It is a brutal sport sometimes.”
Watch the moment Selby clinches Welsh Open glory in final against Maguire
Video credit: Eurosport
It’s nice work if you can get it, but other sports, with much less mental demands than snooker, hand out a lot more for significantly less strain on the system.
Success in snooker is worth celebrating, but it remains as much about how much failure you can stomach on your way to those rare days of bliss in the sunshine.
Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on Eurosport and discovery+
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Publish date : 2025-02-19 03:11:00
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