“Looking for perfection is the only way to motivate yourself”.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Introduction
There doesn’t seem to be a week when there is a World Snooker Tour announcement that Ronnie O’Sullivan is withdrawing from a tournament on medical grounds. Is this really due to his mental health issues, or is this merely a calculated plan to be at his best for this year’s World Championship? I am not privy to Ronnie’s private life, but his latest withdrawal from the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong seems significant. Due to play on Wednesday against Si Jiahui, he will now be replaced by Hossein Vafaei. It’s a shame, as this is the first time this tournament will be played on this beautiful island. Ronnie has been absent since January, when he had bizarre actions at the Championship League, such as snapping his cue in his match against Robert Milkins. It reminds him of how frustrated he can be with the game that has consumed him and messed with the dark demons in his head. However, a champion of promoting snooker in the Far East and Saudi Arabia, little had been seen of this maverick apart from his punditry work on the now-defunct Eurosport UK.
My Thoughts
Snooker is bigger than Ronnie O’Sullivan, but there is no question that when he does turn, he puts bums on seats and makes the sport a lot of money. This graduate of the Class of 92 has a massive fanbase, but some only turn up to watch him alone. You only have to go to a Ronnie match to hear the loud shouts of “Come on, Ronnie” and witness that he is revered in snooker and is seen as the most outstanding player that snooker has ever produced. On a good day, he is a joy to watch, but his cat-and-mouse tactics of withdrawing from events, many at the last minute, is frankly tedious. So predictable, is it now? We wait for the announcement, but behind the scenes, there probably isn’t a day when he doesn’t practice. His eyes are concentrating on this year’s World Championship, and we all know he can still win in Sheffield despite not playing on the main stage for an extended period.
Ronnie plays snooker his way and the powers that be give him the freedom to do this. They can’t refuse because he is the draw of snooker, but it has been proven that snooker still marches on without him. There will come a day when he is no longer a professional, but no one wants to discuss that. He makes headlines, fills print space and gets tongues wagging. Frankly, I find him annoying as an individual. A diva who I empathise with on his mental health issues. He isn’t as good as he was, but we are not supposed to say that. Even when he plays poorly, he often pulls the match back by dipping into his genius. Off the table, he has a small circle of friends and doesn’t hang around at events unless he is getting paid for it. He whisked away to his home or a hotel to avoid media attention and choosy about what television channels he was interviewed on.
I don’t think even his closest friends know the honest Ronnie. He keeps his cards close to his chest. After breaking up with his girlfriend Layla Rouass, O’Sullivan is more fragile. The expensive house they once lived in in Essex is up for sale, and Ronnie has lost an important person. His connection to everyday life, which he loves, is just lounging around and binging on Netflix, going out on a long run, or painting at Damien Hirst’s studio. Ronnie craves normality, but everyone wants a piece of him in his work. If it is not a microphone stuck in his face, he is constantly being chased by a fan hungry for an autograph or a selfie. He hates that part of the job, but you should shun those idolising you. Being a snooker player is a lonely life; you spend most of your time away from family. Travelling from A to B, living out of a suitcase and seeing the four walls of a hotel room. Ronnie prefers venues where he can catch up with friends in a Chinese, Thai or Turkish restaurant. Here, he can be himself and away from the glare of the media. Yet he knows that his time in snooker is limited, and that’s probably why he opened a snooker academy in Rhiadh and could become a mentor to a select few when he finally decided to put away his cue. So, until then, we will have to put up with Ronnie’s show of withdrawing from tournaments and savouring his play when he decides to make an appearance.
