When questioned about his 6-2 victory over Zhou Yuelong at the Players Championship and the reasons for his decision to miss so many World Snooker Tour (WST) events, Ronnie O’Sullivan remained silent. Even though the Rocket had won 15 straight games, he has long been involved in a power struggle with the sport’s elite, and his frustrations were evident once more.
Despite winning the last three championships he entered and setting up a quarterfinal matchup against either Mark Selby or Barry Hawkins, O’Sullivan was anything but happy following his opening win over Zhou.
O’Sullivan gave a scathing response when ITV asked him about his thoughts on the game: “Yeah, I am not going to comment on other players anymore so… I’m just happy to be finished. I truly don’t evaluate my performances; instead, I play by the golden rule. Take everything I can from the tour, practice a little in the match, and go on.”
After that, the 48-year-old focused on the WST and reiterated his desire to play as little snooker as possible in order to maintain his number one ranking in the world.
“I’ve always been refreshed that wasn’t the thing, I am just trying to get away with playing as least as I can,” he stated. “It makes me happier to do that. Take what I can from the tour, approach it like a little match practice, and that’s really about it. I’ve chosen when to play over my career for a variety of reasons, but I try to keep myself sharp for when I’m performing my other bits and pieces. Whatever I gain from this tour, all of this is just cherry on top for me.
