Ronnie O'Sullivan has insisted that he 'won't quit' snooker as the Rocket prepares for the upcoming World Championship.
The 49-year-old has experienced a year to forget so far, with the veteran struggling for consistency amid a big dip in form.
Earlier in the year, O'Sullivan binned his cue after toiling in the Championship League - with the snooker icon spending time away from the sport in the time since.
Now, speaking to The Sun, he admits that he's been battling a case of 'snooker depression'.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has insisted that he 'won't quit' snooker as the Rocket prepares for the upcoming World Championship
PA
But the Rocket has also told fans that he won't quit, with the seven-time world champion eager to keep giving his all.
“It got to the point where I was struggling with the game. I always call it snooker depression. Call it stage fright," he said.
“Call it whatever you like. It starts to affect you mentally.
“Listen, that’s why I snapped my cue, I just couldn’t take it any more.
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"I don’t want to put myself in a situation where I feel like that could happen again. I need to find the love for the game, to find that passion.
“I’m not bothered about winning and losing. I never have been.
“I’ve always been more, ‘Where’s my game at?’ If my game is all right, then cool. If it’s terrible, I can leave that for one, two, three, four months.
“But I can’t live for three, four years of struggling and just grinding it out. It was just no fun, to be honest with you. I’m trying to unravel it.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the World Snooker Championship seven times over the years
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"If you’d asked me the question, do you think I’ll ever get to a point where I feel comfortable enough to go and play?
“Well, the answer two days ago would have been probably ‘maybe’. If you ask me today, after the last two practice sessions, I’d say absolutely not.
“But I’m not going to quit. I definitely won’t quit.”
O'Sullivan also revealed that he won't attend the World Championship if he doesn't feel like he stands a genuine chance of securing glory.
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“I’ll make a decision when I feel like I’m ready to make a decision. That will be it," he added.
“I know I have nothing to prove. But I was getting to the point where I was scared to even go near a table.
“Not even the match table, just a practice table. And that has been going on for a long time.
“I tried to play through it. I just tried and I tried and I tried. I was getting no enjoyment out of it.
Ronnie O'Sullivan's form has nosedived in 2025 ahead of the World Snooker Championship
PA
“Even that season when I won five tournaments, it was just hard. I couldn’t keep going on struggling.
“At some point you’ve got to try and enjoy the game. I can only enjoy it if I’m playing half decent.
“I’ll make a decision after those three good sparring sessions that I have arranged.
“Until then, I will be working as hard as I can to try and figure out the problem.”
