Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
World title defence is anti-climax for Ronnie
RONNIE O’Sullivan insists he could not care less about the prospect of equalling Stephen Hendry’s record of seven Crucible crowns as he prepares to begin the defence of his world snooker title.
In a sign the 45-year-old might be falling out of love with the game again, he went on to admit he would prefer to adopt a nonplaying role in the tournament and described how he would treat his time in Sheffield as a “holiday”.
O’Sullivan said: “Winning the World Championship has always seemed an anti-climax to me, the same as walking out as defending champion. It is what it is, it either floats your boat or it doesn’t.
“I wish I shared your excitement about going for my seventh (title), but I don’t. It suits my lifestyle, and playing snooker is probably the one part of it that I like the least.
“If I could not play, that would be great, and I could just take the other benefits of snooker, but I suppose you’re never going to love 100% of what you do, so I just have to suck it up and get through some of the playing parts.”
O’Sullivan soared to his sixth title late last year but has had a frustrating season by his own unprecedented standards, losing all five finals in which he has played including thumping defeats by Neil Robertson and John Higgins.
Meanwhile, the return of fans for the first day of the championship in Sheffield today provides cause for cautious optimism that sport’s lockdown year might finally be drawing to a close.
But for two of the players preparing to feature in the opening sessions, it also represents a significant point on their own mental health journeys, and one which yields dramatically contrasting reactions.
Former semi-finalist David Gilbert, who starts against Chris Wakelin, has admitted “hating every minute” of the lockdown, and struggling to find the motivation to continue playing to a reasonable standard as a result.
“Without a crowd there’s been no buzz at tournaments and it’s felt as flat as a pancake,” Gilbert said.
“It’s not helped me in any way whatsoever. I’ve never felt so bored in all my life.”
But for Martin Gould, who kicks off his 11th Crucible campaign against Masters champion Yan Bingtao, the shut-out season has had the opposite effect, resurrecting his love for the game eight months after admitting he felt “ashamed and pathetic” to be struggling with his mental health.
So much has Gould flourished in the new environment that he is distinctly less than enthusiastic about the fact that the Crucible will be 33% full on today, theoretically rising to 100% for next month’s final. Gould admitted: “I’ve really enjoyed playing in front of nobody – it’s been like going down the club and having a game.
“We’ve been so used to not having anyone rustling sweet papers and packets of crisps and mobile phones going off, and I think it’s going to be quite weird having a crowd back in there again.
“It’s certainly worked for me nice and quiet, no noises coming from anywhere. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. It might take me a frame or two just to remember that the crowd is actually there.”