Few sportsmen make successful look really easy and but have such a troubled relationship with success.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has elevated the game of snooker to unprecedented ranges of magnificence over the previous 25 years and received the whole lot his coronary heart wishes.
Yet when the seven-time world champion talks about how the ‘circus’ of the highest competitors forces him to discover the darkish crevices of his thoughts, you are left questioning whether or not it is all value it.
Ronnie O’Sullivan received a record-equalling seventh World Snooker Championship this yr
The Rocket finds himself the centre of consideration on the Hong Kong Masters final weekend
Glory, however at what price? It’s a quandary many an elite athlete has grappled with at some stage, even in probably the most illustrious of careers the place adulation flows freely.
Snooker generally is a lonely sport. The lengthy hours learning the 4 partitions of resort rooms in between matches and the longer minutes sat within the nook of the auditorium replaying that missed pot in your head as your opponent remorselessly clears up.
The mental burden can weigh closely on anybody, particularly within the scorching highlight of the main tournaments. There’s an terrible lot of time spent alone together with your ideas.
O’Sullivan’s genius has taken the game of snooker to new heights however he has battled demons alongside the way in which
O’Sullivan, 46, who equalled Stephen Hendry’s report of seven World Championship crowns on the Crucible earlier this yr, is definitely no stranger to mental demons.
When the Rocket’s genius reaches full thrust he’s unplayable however his journey has additionally plumbed the depths of melancholy, alcohol and drug abuse.
It’s all explored in a brand new two-part Eurosport present known as Seventh Heaven, which premieres this Saturday.
Nothing is off limits as O’Sullivan traces his snooker profession from early life to his 18-13 win over Judd Trump on this yr’s Crucible closing.
‘If you’ll win the World Championships, or win any match of that stature, whether or not it is golf, tennis, darts, no matter, it does take you to some darkish locations,’ O’Sullivan tells Sportsmail.
‘Even once I was in my prime in 2012 and 2013, there have been some locations the place you assume, “[exhales] that was tough, it was really, really hard to not sabotage and just quit.”
‘When I say stop, I imply give in mentally. In these darkish locations, it is the place it’s a must to push your self past the consolation zone.
‘When I received the World Championship in 2013, I awakened the following morning and I assumed, “that was quite easy, I could go and do that again.”
The 46-year-old is open concerning the immense strain on his shoulders at main tournaments
‘But once I received it in 2020, seven years later, I felt drained for days afterwards and the identical occurred once I received the match this yr.
‘As you grow old, you get better lots much less from experiences and conditions like that.
‘I’m much less ready to go to the darkish locations now as a result of I’m extra enthusiastic about having a more healthy, happier life.
‘I take a look at the larger image, having a household and pals, the opposite work I do are rather more necessary than the sport of snooker. So it is a trade-off, choosing and selecting my battles.
‘I’ve a inexperienced zone and a crimson zone. I’m ready to be within the inexperienced zone 80 per cent of the time for the remaining of my enjoying days and step into the crimson zone solely each now and once more if the prize will get me excited.’
It was obvious from a younger age that O’Sullivan, pictured in 1992, was a snooker genius
O’Sullivan, 19, with the Benson and Hedges Masters after defeating John Higgins in 1995
Never does that crimson burn so brightly as throughout these Spring fortnights spent in Sheffield. Going all the way in which on the Crucible requires not solely a consistency of ability however a tunnel imaginative and prescient.
‘Even once I received it in 2001, 2004, 2008, it was all the time the crimson zone,’ O’Sullivan says.
‘So that’s the reason I maintain my arms as much as anybody who wins at Sheffield, anybody who wins a Major at tennis or golf, or the World Championships at darts.
‘With these occasions, it turns into a circus. You’ve acquired all the joy from the crowds, Sheffield turns into a village, there’s the press and media.
‘It’s not like I really feel it as a result of I’m the No 1 or the favorite, you are feeling it since you’re on this surroundings that’s excessive depth on a regular basis and you may’t get away from it.
‘The crimson zone is all the time the Worlds and typically the Masters and the UK Championships – they’re the most important occasions to play in and the circus comes together with these tournaments.’
O’Sullivan pictured together with his mum and sister after successful his second world title in 2004
Confetti litters the desk on the Crucible after he beat Ali Carter to win the world title in 2012
Now that O’Sullivan has equalled Hendry’s report of seven Crucible titles, you’d think about him to be champing on the bit to win No 8. But that does not look like the case.
‘It would by no means have bothered me if I hadn’t acquired to No 5 actually,’ he admits. ‘At 4, I used to be fairly happy, six was a milestone as a result of I’d matched Steve Davis.
‘But I used to be by no means bothered by the information. I by no means thought on the finish of my profession I’d be outlined by what I received.
‘I assumed the legacy I left was to be probably the most thrilling snooker participant to look at together with Alex Higgins and Jimmy White… and I’d win just a few tournaments.
‘I managed to do each, which not lots of folks can do.
‘You’re both a Stephen Hendry or a Steve Davis, being a successful machine however you by no means performed the entertaining sort of sport.
‘Or you are a Higgins or a White that performed the entertaining sport however you needed to sacrifice successful as a lot.
‘I’d have been more than pleased with that written on my tombstone however having equalled Stephen Hendry’s report, I could not want for greater than that.’Â
O’Sullivan together with his son Ronnie Jr after his 2012 win on the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield
O’Sullivan has spoken brazenly concerning the Crucible fortnight being a troublesome one mentallyÂ
Despite the prospect of more difficult moments to return, O’Sullivan has roused himself for one more season on the circuit.
Over the weekend, he received the Hong Kong Masters – and £100,000 – by beating native favorite Marco Fu in entrance of 9,000 spectators, the most important reside snooker crowd ever.
Years of expertise have taught O’Sullivan to stability the rigours of the game with the larger image of life – and he believes somebody is watching over him.
‘I’ve all the time believed within the snooker Gods,’ he says.
‘I’m not a non secular particular person, I’m not a non secular particular person – aside from taking care of myself and my well-being – however I do consider within the snooker Gods.
‘I do consider that no matter I do, they’re variety of being me all of the time.
O’Sullivan together with his son Ronnie Jr and daughter Lily after his newest World Championship win
‘They do not give me the solutions on a regular basis however they do all the time land one thing on my lap, or they do introduce me to an individual who will do factor for me.
‘It’s then as much as me if I take advantage of of that chance, that relationship, that coach, thoughts coach, no matter it is likely to be.
‘I nonetheless must do the work however I do consider I’m being taken care of in that respect and that filters into each space of my life, whether or not that is discovering the working neighborhood, stepping into cooking, discovering new hobbies, which assist me develop into better-suited to carry out below strain and assist me take pleasure in my profession extra.’
And even when O’Sullivan would not give the impression he is that curiosity in successful a record-breaking eighth world title, it is possible just a few phrases to the snooker Gods have been whispered.
Seventh Heaven premieres Saturday at 8pm on discovery+ and Eurosport 1. The Northern Ireland Open is reside and unique on Eurosport, discovery+ and Quest from October sixteenth.