RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has not enjoyed playing snooker this much since he was 14.
And the 49-year-old insists he is not thinking about hanging up his cue.
O’Sullivan remains the sport’s biggest attraction but has not been wielding the same power or influence recently — with eight defeats in 21 matches this season.
His last two outings saw him collapse from winnable positions.
This calendar year, he has won only one ranking tournament — the World Grand Prix — with Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson emerging as the dominant potters.
Yet when it was put to the Rocket that fans might be seeing him on a slow slide to retirement, he claimed his excitement for the game was still there.
O’Sullivan said: “I wouldn’t say it’s the end. I’m definitely going to keep playing.
“The last time I enjoyed playing snooker like I have done the last couple of months was when I was 14.
“I won’t go into details but I’m loving playing. It’s quite weird.
“I played awful last year and pretty terrible at the start of the year. I won five tournaments last year, a couple of semis but did not enjoy playing. I was done, mate. I just couldn’t face playing.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
“I was getting stage fright, I was jabby through the ball, stabbing at shots. Then I took a couple of months off, figured out a couple of things and really enjoyed it.
“The last three tournaments I’ve played pretty well. Maybe just a little bit too open. It’s just winning some of them safety battles.
“You’ve got to make your opponents work for it and I haven’t been doing that.
“I never panic, I never worry. I’m not really bothered either. If I was bothered I might be worried.
“I know I’m on the back-end of my career so it’s less important now.”
O’Sullivan appears tonight in the last eight of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
It is the return of the 20-point Gold Ball and the prospect of compiling a 167 — which this time carries a $1million (£790,000) bonus.
Saudi bosses have paid a lot of money to set up an academy in the desert city in O’Sullivan’s name but there is little chance a similar venue will be established in the UK for British talent.
O’Sullivan laughed: “If you have to fund it yourself it’s not easy.
“You’ve got rent, tables, staff… on snooker player’s prize money, I’d end up skint!”
