Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Ali Carter in the opening round of the 2025 World Snooker Championship as the Rocket goes in search of a record eighth title at the Crucible
Ronnie O’Sullivan doesn’t appear overly confident about clinching the 2025 World Snooker Championship. The 49-year-old, considered by many as the finest to ever grace the sport, has been struggling for form, securing victory in just one of his eight scheduled matches this calendar year.
He also hasn’t played competitively since January amid an ongoing health battle. Despite that, supporters are still eager to see the Rocket firing on all cylinders at the Crucible as he chases an unprecedented eighth world crown.
However, he’s admitted his preparation for the competition has been “not great” and his mental state isn’t exactly positive either. “The cue is fine, it’s just me,” he told reporters.
When questioned on whether he’d missed the sport during his absence, O’Sullivan said: “Yes and no. It’s a strange one but it was good to have some time out.”
Since last November, O’Sullivan has recorded just two wins while suffering a dozen defeats and pulling out of four matches. Reflecting further on his current slump, the seven-time world champion claimed he has lost his “instinctiveness” and doesn’t know how to recover it.
“I tried a new technique six years ago and I think it’s completely stopped me from playing how I used to, and I don’t know how to get back to somewhere near how I want to play,” O’Sullivan explained. “I’m not sure it’s fixable at this stage of my career, but I will give it a couple of years to try and rediscover a way of playing where I feel like I can hit the ball.
“At the moment it’s pretty scary – the white ball is doing things I’ve never seen it do before. I’ve lost that instinctiveness and what I’m seeing when I’m down on the shot is not good,” he added.
“Everyone has days when they lose their timing but when you compound that over a four-year period it’s quite hard – where do you start to put it right?”
O’Sullivan begins his World Championship campaign against long-time adversary Ali Carter, whom he bested in the 2008 and 2012 finals. Their rivalry has grown increasingly intense – especially following a fiery showdown at the Masters last year, after which he branded Carter “not a nice person” and a “nightmare” to play against.
The feud stretches back to a 2018 World Championship meeting, where the former practice partners exchanged heated words and had tense moments at the table, including a controversial shoulder contact by O’Sullivan.
Fast forward to the Masters six years later, and ‘The Captain’ accused O’Sullivan of “snotting” on the carpet during play. O’Sullivan’s reply? He told Carter to “sort his f***ing life out”.
The winner will go on to meet either Zhang Anda or Pang Junxu in the second round. O’Sullivan may be narrowly favoured, though it’s worth noting several top seeds have already tumbled – including Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, and Barry Hawkins.
