ROCKET HAD ME WORRIED!

STEVE DAVIS feared Ronnie O’Sullivan would quit for good.

The Rocket has not played a competitive match since April, when he lost to Stuart Bingham at the World Championship.

But the five-time world champion revealed he will return for January’s Masters at Alexandra Palace and try to qualify for Berlin’s German Masters.

this time he was genuinely worried it could be curtains for O’Sullivan’s illustrious career.

Davis, 58, said: “I am delighted that he is back because I had started to fear that Ronnie had lost his competitive mojo.

“And I wondered if he had the stomach for it any more, basically not liking the fact that he was getting beaten more.

“So there was a real concern that maybe the writing was on the wall. Perhaps that is the case still, he won’t have it all his own way.

“But what is great is that he is coming back to the fray. I know what it is like starting to think you are not top dog any more.

“And it would have been sad if such a talented player had retired just because he was getting beaten in a few matches.”

O’Sullivan – a Eurosport pundit at the Betway UK Championship – has been playing exhibitions for seven months and appearing in snooker clubs in the UK and Europe.

He said: “I’ve been watching the snooker this week and just realised that I have been missing it.

“So I’ve decided to enter the Masters at the Ally Pally and I’m going to play in the German.”