Seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is giving himself “as much time as possible” to decide whether he will compete in the upcoming World Snooker Championship.
The 49-year-old Englishman has been a fixture at the Crucible since turning professional in 1992 and would be chasing a record eighth world title in the modern era.
However, he has not played on the World Snooker Tour (WST) since January, when he withdrew from his Championship League group. Frustrated with his form, he snapped his cue after losing four of his five matches.
Since then, O’Sullivan has pulled out of multiple events, including the Masters at Alexandra Palace due to medical reasons, the German Masters, the Welsh Open—where he apologized to fans for his absence—and the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong. His continued withdrawals have fueled speculation about whether he will return for Sheffield, where he is one of the seeds.
“I don’t know yet. I haven’t made my mind up. I’ll probably decide on maybe 17 or 18 April,” O’Sullivan told TNT Sports.
“I don’t know when my first match is, so I’m going to leave myself as much time as possible. I’d love to be able to go there and play. I’d love to have the confidence to pick up my cue and play snooker. I just need to see where I’m at and whether it’s something I can do.”
The World Championship, widely considered snooker’s toughest test, starts on 19 April and runs until 5 May. Qualification ends on 16 April, meaning that if O’Sullivan withdraws at the last minute, a qualifier would receive a bye to the second round.
O’Sullivan on His Struggles
O’Sullivan previously defended his world title in 2013 despite having played just one competitive match that season. Last term, he won five tournaments and reached the semi-finals at the Xi’an Grand Prix, Shanghai Masters, and Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
Despite his status as the sport’s greatest-ever player, he has spoken openly about his struggles in recent years.
“It’s been a real struggle,” he admitted. “I’ve tried to play my way through. I’ve had moments where I thought, ‘OK, this is fine,’ but for three-and-a-half of the last four years, it’s been pretty terrible.
“It ground me down to the point where I lost my love for the game. That’s why in January, I snapped my cue in frustration. I don’t want to feel like that, so I’ve stepped back. I’m trying to fix the problem before I return to serious snooker.”
