Ronnie O'Sullivan makes mental health demand of World Snooker at Masters - 'Struggling in silence'
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has called for World Snooker to employ a full-time mental health professional at tournaments to support players struggling with psychological pressures.
The seven-time world champion made the appeal during Eurosport's coverage of the Masters, following his own withdrawal from the tournament.
O'Sullivan's plea comes after he broke his cue in frustration during a Championship League defeat by Robert Milkins in Leicester last week.
Speaking on Eurosport, O'Sullivan said: "I think World Snooker should have somebody. In football, they have masseuses, people sorting out injuries.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has admitted the snooker table can be a lonely place sometimes
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"I think snooker should have someone at the tournament employed as like if someone is struggling, they've come off the table, 'do you need 10 minutes with someone?'
"I'm not saying everyone will go in there but I just think a lot of players suffer in silence basically.
"I can tell, just look at them and they're struggling. They should have someone to go and talk to."
The Rocket emphasised that mental support transcends financial considerations in the sport.
"It's not about the money. It's about pride in performance," he added.
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"You want to put a show on for the crowd, you want to put a show on for yourself. You want to play well and when you don't it can really drive you crazy.
He stressed how brief interventions could make a significant difference: "Sometimes just a five to ten minute chat and I'm alright.
"I can go to sleep. I look forward to tomorrow, rather than going home and beating myself up."
O'Sullivan's admission comes days after making a heart-breaking confession over his snooker career and his regrets with Class-A drugs.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan recently opened up on his struggles with drugs
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Mark Selby, speaking after his Masters victory over Ali Carter, shared his own experiences with mental health support.
"I was speaking to a doctor for about six months to a year and he told me how to control it a little bit more. The way he explained it is like losing a loved one. You'll never get over it, but you'll learn to deal with it better," Selby said.
He added that while he's managing better now, he expects future challenges: "It'll rear its head again at some point. It's just how I deal with it."
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Ronnie O'Sullivan was set to face fellow snooker veteran John Higgins at the Masters before withdrawing
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O'Sullivan emphasised the scale of mental health challenges in snooker, stating that if established players like himself, Selby and John Higgins struggle mentally, "then the other 124 are a million per cent struggling mentally."
"The guy would be busy. Whoever they employed would be a busy man," O'Sullivan stressed.
His comments follow his withdrawal from the Masters tournament, where he was due to face John Higgins in the first round as defending champion after beating Ali Carter in last year's final.
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