beyond winning the World Grand Prix, Eurosport’s Dave Hendon examines when Ronnie O’Sullivan would announce his retirement from snooker as well as what ‘The Rocket’ might do with his life beyond the game. O’Sullivan maintained his excellent form this season by defeating Judd Trump in the World Grand Prix final. The Rocket has, however, made hints that he may soon give up snooker.When is a good time to end the celebration? Are you high and still enjoying yourself, or has it long since stopped being fun?
Ronnie O’Sullivan has thought about this paradox for a while. He finds it more difficult to answer because, throughout his career, he has had periods of extreme success and is still searching for a way out.
Now that he has competed in three events, he has won eight of them: the UK Championship, the Masters, and last night’s World Grand Prix, where he defeated Judd Trump 10-7 after rallying from a 4-0 deficit.
At 48, he has been in the game for almost 32 years, and he is undoubtedly at the top of his game. However, rumours about his impending retirement persist, originating from his own.
Ken Doherty suggested this week that the best player in the history of the sport might retire following his or her seventh global championship in May, an unprecedented move from the top.
It may be alluring to put himself in such a situation, but if he can win eight world titles, why not a ninth? How about ten? He might leave a legacy that future generations won’t be able to inherit. And he might miss it just as much as his enormous following would.
O’Sullivan has consistently and occasionally humorously threatened to retire. His first came following his defeat by Doherty in the UK Championship in 1994. He was eighteen.
We could all relate to this immature response to loss because many of us were grumpy teenagers once. But as he grew older over the course of three decades, the threats persisted.
Even though he promised to leave with a straight face, the media continued to cover his depressing remarks, which bored many admirers. He must mean it this time, right?
It appeared that he had finally delivered on his promise in 2012, even though he only said he would be taking a year off instead of leaving the stage permanently.
Even though he promised to leave with a straight face, the media continued to cover his depressing remarks, which bored many admirers. He must mean it this time, right?
It appeared that he had finally delivered on his promise in 2012, even though he only said he would be taking a year off instead of leaving the stage permanently.
What to do with all that precious free time? O’Sullivan spent a few days working on a pig farm but inevitably ended up watching snooker on TV, and by January 2013, he was missing the circuit so much that he turned up at the Masters to watch two old foes, Mark Selby and Graeme Dott, do battle.
He returned to competitive action a few months later and, with a style and nerve only he could summon, retained his world title. He has had a busy schedule ever since.
What then is the cause of the persistent retirement flirtation? It doesn’t take a psychology degree to realise that O’Sullivan has mixed feelings about snooker. It sometimes fascinates him. He attained the perfection he had long sought when he destroyed Ding Junhui in the semi-final on Saturday night. Other times, it sends him into a severe state of depression. His shape fails him, and he doesn’t feel at ease.
O’Sullivan has never been able to handle the negative aspects of the sport, such as dealing with the press and fans, outsiders’ expectations and time demands, scrutiny, and criticism.
At the 2020 World Championship, which was conducted nearly exclusively behind closed doors due to COVID, it was evident how freely he performed. With hardly anyone around wanting a piece of him, he won his first Crucible crown in seven years.
O’Sullivan has never been able to handle the negative aspects of the sport, such as dealing with the press and fans, outsiders’ expectations and time demands, scrutiny, and criticism.
At the 2020 World Championship, which was conducted nearly exclusively behind closed doors due to COVID, it was evident how freely he performed. With hardly anyone around wanting a piece of him, he won his first Crucible crown in seven years.
Two years later,, he secured a record-equalling seventh world title. His reaction was not one of joy but an outpouring of emotion after a mentally gruelling 17 days. Even after making history,, he was still left wondering why he was putting himself through this.
There is no playbook for when a snooker player retires. In physical sports, your body decides for you. The green baize game allows for longevity, although aches and pains are still common for players who have spent most of their lives bent over a table potting balls.
Many snooker playerss have threatened retirement, usually in the aftermath of defeat. They invariably come to their senses, not least because most have little else to fall back on after being focused on nothing but the table since their childhood years.
Ali Carter is a qualified pilot,, so he could take to the skies, but the thrill of competition is too compelling to turn away from while he is still playing the sort of snooker that took him close to the Masters title earlier this month.
Hardly anyone actually walks away of their own volition. They are usually dragged off kicking and screaming, often ending up back in Q School trying to start all over again.
Terry Griffiths, the 1979 world champion, dropped out of the elite top 16 in 1996 and retired a year later at the age of 49, but he had a position lined up as head of coaching for snooker’s governing body.
Stephen Hendry, seven times the Crucible King, made the shock decision to retire in 2012 at 43. Like Griffiths, he had dropped out of the top 16 and was finding it hard to accept losing to players he would once have swatted away. But Hendry also had a lucrative job waiting for him: promoting poolss in China.
‘Quite extraordinary’: O’Sullivan wraps up eighth Masters title with win over Carter in final
More recently,, Alan McManus called it a day in 2021,, but by then,, he had long established himself as a brilliant TV analyst. Fergal O’Brien, a professional since 1991, will retire at the end of this season,, with relegation from the circuit looming. He plans to coach and has joined the Eurosport commentary team.
Notice that all these retired players have remained in snooker. It’s what they know and love. Steve Davis became a musician and DJ but still pitches up at tournaments for studio punditry, as if the link is too deep-seated to be broken.
Hendry,, of course,, came back eight years later, accepting a wildcard for the tour. His old rival,, Jimmy White, 61, has no thoughts whatsoever about packing it in.
O’Sullivan is the world’s’s No. 1. He has won four titles this season, losing only three matches the whole campaign. He is closing in on £1m in prize money for the current term and is clearly still feared by the majority of the tour. Given all of that, it would be a huge decision to quit any time soon.
Time catches up with us all in the end. There will come a moment when O’Sullivan actually retires. Most likely, it will only be from professional competition. He can write his own checks for exhibition, media, and ambassadorial work. He will remain a huge figure in the sport long after he is still chasing titles.
Snooker is O’Sullivan’s anchor. It defines him, whether he likes that fact or not. It is his means of making a good living, of expressing himself, and of feeling fulfilled.
Like any long-term relationship, it has its ups and downs, but he keeps coming back to it because that first spark of love he experienced when he was young is still in him.
So even if he does walk away, he won’t be walking far.
