Ronnie O’Sullivan lost his motivation

Ronnie O’Sullivan doesn’t play with all his heart anymore. PDO

Seven-time and reigning world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan46, suffered a crushing defeat in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to world No. 62 To David Grace. After the game, the gloomy Englishman stated in an interview with the BBC that the motivation for the sport has not been the same for a long time.

– I have little passion for snooker. I’ll give it what I think it deserves. If I could choose, I wouldn’t do this. I don’t care anymore, O’Sullivan revealed.

O’Sullivan, who was the number one name in the sport for years, said that even defeats have their silver linings.

– This job is not worth all the stress and glitz. Sometimes loss is a blessing. It allows me to do other things.

O’Sullivan does not want to comment on his games, especially not those that ended in defeat. He still goes to top tournaments looking for good rankings, but the cooling phase towards retirement has already started.

– If I can play one good tournament a year, that’s enough for me. Smaller tournaments do not count.

– I stopped mentally about eight years ago, and I only take what I can out of the sport. This sport gives me a lot of freedom and opportunities to do something else. When it comes to winning or immortalizing your name in history, you can’t get excited about it.

O’Sullivan feels that playing snooker has become a job or a duty for him, which is no longer rewarding in the way it used to be. You can understand that from a player who has won everything.

– I’m not interested in the game, I’m not interested in the events, I’m not interested in the tournament calendar. Only the business around it interests me. I have earned this. I can do whatever I want, and if I don’t win a single match again, I think I’ve deserved to do it my way.

O’Sullivan has won the snooker world championship seven times between 2001 and 2022. He is the player who won the most ranking tournaments.