Ronnie O'Sullivan reveals cut-throat mentality of snooker – 'It's all about ruining your opponent's life'

ByEurosport

Published 12/05/2023 at 09:37 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan has given a fascinating insight into the medieval mindset needed to succeed in snooker at the top level. Writing in his new autobiography 'Unbreakable', the world No. 1 admits the ruthless attitude required is akin to being an ancient gladiator in the colosseum. "It's all about ruining your opponent's life," he said. "It's breaking their game into pieces. It's f****** them up".

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Ronnie O'Sullivan has confessed the cut-throat nature of professional snooker at the top level comes with the merciless mindset of "ruining your opponent's life".

In a no-holds barred account more akin to boxing, the seven-time world champion has laid bare the bloodthirsty aspect of the green baize by acknowledging the key to success comes down to "f****** them up".

Despite battling with his mental health throughout his tumultuous and turbulent 31-year career, O'Sullivan has become a master of such mind games as the undisputed snooker GOAT by winning a record 39 ranking titles, including seven world titles and seven Masters crowns since 1995.

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He has compiled a landmark 1,202 centuries, an unsurpassed 15 competitive 147s and the sport's historic fastest maximum at the 1997 World Championship in only five minutes and eight seconds, the most celebrated break of all time.

"Let me tell you something about snooker from the inside. It's beautiful and it's brutal," said O'Sullivan in his new autobiography Unbreakable.

"I love this sport. I feel blessed to have played it to the highest level. It's in my head all day long and I obsess about it, love its history. I'll talk to you all night about Joe Davis (15-time world champion), Steve Davis (six-time world champion) and Stephen Hendry (seven-time world champion).

"But it can be bad for that head of mine. This thing I can't let go of. It can be capricious and cruel. You and the table all day long, every day. Low roofs and artificial lights, stale air and bad food.

"All those hours in a dark room and you're not talking to anybody, but yourself. Shutting down your emotions, losing your people skills. If you had the chance to develop any as a kid. Participating only in one little strange corner of life.

"If you play a Grand Slam final in tennis and put a forehand in the net, your chance to put it right comes along with the next rally a few moments later.

"You're a golfer missing a putt in one of the majors, you'll probably have another 70-odd shots to get your round back on track.

"You're also the only one who can touch your ball. No other player can stick you behind a tree or clatter you into a bunker just to make you suffer.

"Snooker? It's all about ruining your opponent's life. It's breaking their game into pieces.

"It's doing all the things that makes them get angry and frustrated. It's f****** them up."

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Despite his ongoing remarkable success story as successor to Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins and Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White as 'The People's Champion', O'Sullivan has also been on the receiving end of some harrowing defeats, most recently when losing 13-10 to Luca Brecel in the World Championship quarter-final last month.

Leading 10-6 overnight, the Essex sporting icon astonishingly shipped the final seven frames in only 79 minutes to relinquish his grip on the trophy amid a series of costly errors from close range.

His dismay at a missed opportunity to claim a record eighth world title was probably heightened by witnessing the swashbuckling Brecel progress to an 18-15 final win over old foe Mark Selby.

In the dim and distant past, O'Sullivan infamously quit a best-of-17 frame UK Championship quarter-final against Hendry in 2006 trailing 4-1 live on TV after missing a red. He was later fined over £20,000 for forfeiting the contest.

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"You can do it to yourself," he said. "Cruising through a match, playing lovely, then make one mistake and suddenly you're powerless.

"It doesn't matter what other magic you've worked to that point. How much practice you've put in. You're stuck in your chair watching your opponent at the table.

"Them taking the frame away from you, potting balls, ruining your day. Absolutely nothing you can do about it.

"Sit there, sip on your water, staring at the tip of your cue or into the darkness beyond the bright TV lights and the silent faces.

"Of course, you try not to think about your error, about the damage it has done to your hopes. All your brain wants to focus on is exactly that.

"Why it happened? What you should have done instead? Eating away at your guts hard, harsh and acidic inside you."

O'Sullivan has compared snooker to ancient gladiators fighting to the death to defend their honour protected only by a cue stick and the ability to pot balls in no-holds barred combat.

"When you are at the top in sport for long enough, you figure out the role the spectators want you to play," he said.

"It's the Roman days and we're the gladiators. That's all you are. Out in the arena, on your own, fighting for your life.

"If you win, they carry you off on your shield. You might get all the rewards the gladiators used to get.

"I've hung around with Hendry and seen people look at him like they've seen a god when they walk up to him. A man almost 25 years on from his last world title."