Ronnie O’Sullivan says eighth world title ‘not worth it’ due to Crucible torture
Stars attend green carpet for Ronnie O'Sullivan documentary
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record-equalling seventh World Snooker Championship triumph came at a significant personal cost, to the extent that the 47-year-old feels as though gunning for another is ‘not worth it’. A behind-the-scenes insight into O’Sullivan’s 2022 Crucible triumph, shown in his new documentary ‘The Edge of Everything’, illustrates the scale of the emotional task involved in a deep run at snooker’s showpiece tournament.
‘Hell’, ‘an evil event’ and ‘torture’ are just a few of the ways O’Sullivan describes the World Snooker Championship as part of the fly-on-the-wall coverage of his most recent run to glory.
The Rocket defeated Judd Trump 18-13 in the final, but a series of backstage wobbles threatened to derail his title bid. O’Sullivan admits that the extra motivation which came with being followed by documentary cameras played a significant part in his decision to dig deep.
“I hadn’t been prepared to [go through such intense emotions] for a few years in Sheffield,” he told Express Sport ahead of the documentary’s premiere this week. “But once I invited the cameras in, I wasn’t going to crumble and give a half-hearted display. That was never going to happen.
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“I know it sounds crazy, but I just don’t think [going through that] is worth it. If you haven’t won the World Championship, then yes, it’s worth it. But I always said that once I got to four, that’s enough. I was quite happy with that. It hadn’t been a total failure.”
O’Sullivan returned to the Crucible earlier this year for a pop at title number eight, but he was beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual winner Luca Brecel. And while the man considered by many to be the greatest snooker player of all time fully expects to compete once again in 2024, he is pessimistic about his capacity to endure a similarly tough mental ordeal.
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When asked whether going all out for another crown was worth the squeeze, he responded: “Probably not, to be honest with you. I’m sure I’ll pitch up and play again. I don’t know whether I’ve got another one in me. I don’t think I have, if I’m being brutally honest with you. But I thought that in 2011 and I’ve won a few since then, so it’s strange how things can turn out differently.”
Hard-hitting documentary footage showed O’Sullivan breaking down during a post-match embrace with Trump at the Crucible, and again while being congratulated by his kids.
“I’ve never been scared to let people see my vulnerable side,” he added. “I’ve never seen it as a weakness. I’ve always had faith in my ability to overcome any psychological advantage my opponent thinks he might have over me.”
O’Sullivan remains the number-one-ranked snooker player on the planet, and he claims to be ready and raring for action at the UK Championship in York later this week.
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything is released on 23 November on Prime Video, and on 24 November in UK and Irish cinemas.
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