“It’s Like a Disease”: Ronnie O’Sullivan Opens Up on Four-Year Snooker Struggle

Despite securing a hard-fought 5-3 victory over long-time rival Mark Selby to reach the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open, snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan has delivered a candid and unsettling assessment of his own form, describing his game as a “nightmare” that has persisted for four years.

Widely considered the greatest player to ever pick up a cue, O’Sullivan’s admission highlights a deep-seated frustration with his technical evolution. The 50-year-old has been attempting to move away from ‘SightRight’—a coaching method focused on visual alignment—to return to a more natural, intuitive style. However, the transition has been far from smooth.

A Technical Crisis

The “Rocket,” who has not tasted victory in a ranking tournament since January 2024 and whose last world title came in 2022, admits he is currently playing with “zero confidence.”

“I call it a disease because it feels like the method that I took on has ruined me really,” O’Sullivan told the World Snooker Tour. “I’ve got no cue power, no sense of direction. I don’t know where the balls are going. As a player, you always have some anchors to hang onto… but at the moment, I just have nothing.”

O’Sullivan’s struggles have been evident in his results this season, marked by early exits at the Shanghai Masters and China Open. His performance against Selby in Wuhan stands as a rare highlight, yet even in victory, the seven-time world champion remains self-critical, noting that his current form makes him wary of any opponent, regardless of their world ranking.

The Road to 2028

Looking ahead, O’Sullivan has set a clear, albeit challenging, timeline for his career. He has publicly stated his ambition to secure a record-breaking eighth Crucible crown by 2028, while simultaneously warning that he will retire if his ranking falls far enough to force him into qualifying matches. Currently ranked 14th in the world, his progression in Wuhan serves to keep his top-16 status secure for the immediate future.

O’Sullivan believes that with enough time, he can “unlearn” his current technical habits and rediscover his touch. “I’m going to give it a really good go to try and cure the disease. If I can, that’d be great. I think 18 months is a fair amount of time to try and unlearn it and maybe try and find some flow.”

He remains characteristically bullish about his potential, insisting that the decline in his results is not due to a lack of talent or a surge in competition, but purely a technical breakdown. “I don’t think the competition’s that good, and I don’t think I’ve got that bad. I’m just not cueing the ball well.”

Looking Toward the Semi-Finals

The focus for O’Sullivan now shifts to his upcoming semi-final clash against rising Chinese talent Chang Bingyu. Despite his own internal struggles, the veteran remains deeply respectful of the younger generation of players emerging from China, hailing Chang as a top-tier prospect.

“This kid is up there with the best of them,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s just a matter of time before he starts winning a lot of tournaments.”

As O’Sullivan prepares for Saturday’s potential final, the snooker world remains captivated by his battle—not just against his opponents on the table, but against the “nightmare” that has fundamentally challenged one of the sport’s greatest masters. For more on his recent performance, you can read the full report on his snooker struggles at the Wuhan Open.