The snooker hero was as soon as concerned in a long-running dispute with a fellow icon of the game.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is one among snooker’s most outspoken stars (Picture: Getty)
Snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan is thought for his fiery character. Simply over a yr in the past, the seven-time world champion was seen bashing his cue towards the desk moments earlier than withdrawing from a contest. By no means one to cover his feelings, O’Sullivan, 50, was even embroiled in a long-running dispute with fellow snooker legend Stephen Hendry.
The fallout even noticed the pair keep away from contact for 3 entire years. Their spat ignited after O’Sullivan stormed out of a match on the UK Championship in 2006. The snooker legend was trailing 4-0 to Hendry of their quarter-final match-up earlier than the Wordsley-born star packed up his issues and waltzed out of the room.
The second left the snooker world surprised. But it appeared there was no person extra stunned than Hendry himself, who opted to offer his opponent the silent remedy thereafter, as defined by O’Sullivan himself.
Talking again in 2010, O’Sullivan mentioned: “After I walked final time Stephen – who’s one among my heroes – fell out with me and did not speak to me for about three years. However I really like the man, and he is the best snooker participant of all time.”
The 2 snooker heroes ultimately buried the hatchet and rekindled their relationship. He added: “We’re speaking once more now and textual content one another quite a bit, so there’s mutual respect.”
Over a decade later, the 2 even sat down to debate the incident. Throughout a chat on the Scot’s YouTube channel, Hendry mentioned: “Folks nonetheless ask me about that. Have you ever ever watched it again and seen my face?”
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry did not communicate for 3 years (Picture: Getty)
O’Sullivan replied: “It’s the perfect! You have been completely dumbfounded. I had quite a bit occurring off the desk at dwelling, and I wasn’t in the correct mind set to play. I’d practically completed it in a number of matches earlier than.
“You have been 4-1 up, and I believed, ‘I can’t take this, I must get out of right here’. My head simply wasn’t proper for enjoying. I simply wanted to be out of there. I can’t put it right down to something apart from my life being in chaos.”
Showcasing his typical penchant for honesty as soon as once more just lately, ‘The Rocket’ declared he is simply “not an excellent participant anymore” amid claims that he might resolve to retire his cue sooner relatively than later.
The seven-time world champion was in World Grand Prix motion this week, however suffered a 5-3 defeat towards Xiao Guodong within the final 16.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has struggled on the desk in current occasions (Picture: Getty)
It’s now over two years since O’Sullivan final received a rating match, with the Rocket having lowered his schedule in an effort to handle the latter levels of his profession.
He advised the South China Morning Put up: “There was no rustiness, I felt relaxed… I’m simply not an excellent participant anymore. Deep down, I get pleasure from enjoying.”
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He added: “I’ve to just accept [I’m not as good as I was] and discover a option to hold enjoying with out it driving me loopy. I’ve to handle my frustrations, and hope the snooker gods will probably be form and put me to relaxation after they resolve the time is true.”
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