‘I wish I hadn’t won’: Ronnie O’Sullivan makes startling revelation after his seventh World Championship as he labels publicity after title success as ‘his worst nightmare’
- Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Judd Trump for a record-equaling seventh Crucible title
- However, the 46-year-old has revealed that he wishes he hadn’t won the title this year
- His win attracted a lot of attention he described as his ‘worst nightmare’
Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed that he wished he wouldn’t win the World Snooker Championship this year due to the intense pressure that has come from his success.
‘Rocket’ Ronnie defeated Trump in the final of the tournament at the famous Crucible in May to take a seventh world championship crown – to match Stephen Hendry’s record.
While the 46-year-old is known for his brash approach to media interviews and his competitive antics, he’s not one to be in the limelight.
In this year’s championships alone, he was prosecuted for making an obscene gesture in the final and accusing referee Olivier Marteel of ‘looking for trouble’.
His brilliance shone through as he defeated Hendry 18-13 to become the oldest winner of the game’s flagship event.
However, O’Sullivan has told: The Climbing Podcast that the attention that comes from his success is like a ‘nightmare’ that has become reality.
In a startling confession, he said, “Looking back on it, I actually wish I hadn’t won it.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan won his seventh World Snooker Championship earlier this year
But O’Sullivan admitted he wished he hadn’t beaten Judd Trump in the championship final
“The question I get now more than anything is, ‘Do you still play snooker?’ I want to say to them: no.
“I want to say I’m retired, I’m doing little bits and pieces, it’s great and I’m slipping under the radar.
O’Sullivan also revealed that he would rather play without fans present
“When I win this, I’ll suddenly have 600 messages on my phone, everyone says well done and ask when I’m going for the eighth.
“It’s like my worst nightmare is coming true again.”
During his career, O’Sullivan, who won a world championship for the first time in 2001, has claimed several times that he would pack the sport.
Despite this, he has always found the motivation to come back and has become one of the most successful players in the history of the game.
Englishman O’Sullivan has always tried to live a quiet life under the radar and admits he would rather win the title if fans were not allowed to enter due to Covid.
He admitted that after this year’s win partying wasn’t something he was into and would have preferred a “cup of tea and off to bed” instead.
“Going to the afterparty is what annoyed me. I’m like, I don’t need this, I just want a cup of tea and go to bed,” he said.
“That’s why I loved it when I won it in Covid in 2020, there was no crowd, no party, just who happened to be with me.
‘I just can’t with the circus, the circus drives me crazy. The World Cup is the biggest circus of all.’