O’Sullivan vows to quit snooker after defeat to Trump

Ronnie O’Sullivan has suggested he will quit snooker in light of his 6-5 defeat to Judd Trump in the UK Championship.

The match against Trump was for a place in the last 16 of the tournament, in which O’Sullivan played some great snooker and could have sealed victory in a close finish. It was the 22-year-old from Bristol, however, who built a break of 51 in the final frame to edge through.

The game’s most popular player for many years, O’Sullivan said there was “more to life” than snooker for him and went on to tell BBC Sport, “I seriously can’t see me having much longer playing.”

It is not the first time the 36-year-old has threatened to walk away from snooker, and some will take his assertions with a pinch of salt. But despite saying the game can thrive without their biggest star, the latest utterances are sure to be of concern to Barry Hearn, the chairman of World Snooker.

O’Sullivan has been reportedly meeting with a sport psychiatrist to discuss the depression that he has experienced in recent times and the winner of 22 ranking titles was candid when identifying the crux of his issues, saying, “I don’t want to be living on my own, I don’t want to travel around the world on my own feeling anxious, carrying these emotions. To be the real Ronnie, I need to get away from what’s causing the problem.”

Fans and players will be eager for ‘The Rocket’ to continue playing, and will hope he can find the support necessary to carry on as the man many think is the most exciting player the game has seen.