Great legend” Ronnie O’Sullivan urgently made radical snooker transformation after being ‘scared’ to practise since his worst Saudi Arabian tragedy….
Legendary snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan said he was “scared” to even step foot on the practice tables, so he changed to playing left-handed.
The Rocket, who is well-known for his ambidextrous skills, has frequently talked about his ability to play with both hands. He even expressed regret for not using the method sooner in his career. Even so, he still has a strong enough left-hand game to outplay the majority of opponents globally.
O’Sullivan proved as much in the Saudi Arabia Masters when he defeated Lei Peifan 5-1 in the opening round without using his right hand. But Si Jiahui defeated him 6-4 in the quarterfinals to end his competition.
He revealed his decision to switch hands came from a place of necessity as he aims to make the most of what’s left of his illustrious time in the sport. Speaking to the WST, O’Sullivan explained: “I made the decision about four weeks ago.
“I went ‘I cannot’ – I was actually scared to go near a practise table, that’s how bad it got. I was just refusing, finding any excuse not to practise, and I thought ‘What are my options? My only option is to play left-handed’. So I’m enjoying practising left-handed.
“I can’t compete with these guys left-handed but if I can just play a few matches in the game where I kind of go ‘that felt nice, that felt nice’. I’ve got to have a bit of ‘that felt nice’. If I don’t get a bit of ‘that felt nice’, I ain’t gonna play. I just haven’t got it in me, I just haven’t.”
The 48-year-old believes that for the previous five years, his performance has been steadily declining. Despite having won five tournaments in 2023, he recently said that he “played rubbish” against opponents of lesser caliber.
As a result, he has made multiple retirement-related allusions, including after his defeat in Saudi Arabia. He declared to the Express that he was “finished” in the upper echelons of the sport, but it looks like actually putting his career on hold may be more difficult said than done. “I think I just need to find ways where I can play and just get,” O’Sullivan said.
“It’s not even about winning, just about feeling like, ‘Oh, that was alright, I can sleep tonight.'” “I love traveling, I love being on the road, and I can wake up in the morning thinking, ‘I don’t mind going near a snooker table.'” And that will all actually halt the moment I stop playing snooker.”
