RONNIE O’SULLIVAN let his frustration boil over before quitting the Snooker Championship League.
The seven-time world champion, 49, slipped to a fourth defeat in five matches with a loss to Robert Milkins on Thursday morning.
O’Sullivan showed glimpses of his brilliant best in the 3-2 reverse at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena.
But he also let his frustration get the better of him after missing some crucial pots – and later withdrew from the tournament.
During the opening frame of the contest, The Rocket looked to be cruising towards an early advantage.
Leading 51-0, he missed a routine blue into the right middle pocket, allowing Mikins to return and steal the frame.
O’Sullivan reacted to the miss by performing a bizarre “interpretative dance”, spraying his legs and sticking his tongue out.
He later showed more visible frustration as the match progressed, twice whacking the table with his cue.
In the fourth frame, The Rocket missed a routine pink and gave the side of the table a sharp rap.
O’Sullivan promptly apologised to both the referee and Milkins.
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But later, when trailing 28-9 in the deciding frame, the 49-year-old lost his rag again after accidentally potting the cue ball.
O’Sullivan rapped the table again with his cue on the way back to his seat, before helplessly watching Milkins secure a 3-2 win.
O’Sullivan’s surprise withdrawal came after his record in this year’s tournament dropped to 1-4.
He sat fifth in the Group 3 table and had been due to play Ali Carter this afternoon.
But following his shock withdrawal, all of The Rocket’s results in the competition will now be wiped.
As such, Milkins – who had picked up his first point with victory – returns to the bottom of Group 3 on zero points.
O’Sullivan suffered numerous early tournament exits during the latter half of 2024 as his form deserted him.
The Championship League was seen as the perfect way to warm up before competing for The Masters later this month.
RONNIE O'SULLIVAN has enjoyed an incredible career as snooker's biggest star.
But the Rocket’s turbulent past has led to struggles with mental health, addiction and yo-yo weight battles.
O’Sullivan’s parents ran a chain of sex shops in Essex and his father was jailed for 20 years for murder when he was just 16.
In the Amazon documentary The Edge of Everything, the snooker icon admitted his dad going to prison had a profound effect.
He said: “I didn’t want to blame everything on that situation with my dad, but I was thinking, ‘I’d rather not have the snooker. just a normal family’. Because… It was a dream, but looking back, it was a nightmare.”
Just a year later, Ronnie became the youngest ever UK Champion, seven days before his 18th birthday. Then at 19, in 1994, he became the youngest Masters champion.
But he has already begun to binge on drink and drugs and, when his mum was sent to prison for tax evasion, in 1996, he struggled to cope with looking after his eight–year-old sister alone.
During the Matchroom live stream, the commentator said: “It’s all happening here in Leicester.
“He certainly imploded during that opening game, Ronnie.
“He was absolutely furious with nothing but himself, just the way he was playing, things weren’t going right.
“Robert Milkins getting the win in the end. Ronnie O’Sullivan, having a lash-up at times, just smashing the ball.
“He clearly didn’t want to be here and he’s taken the decision to withdraw.”
The Rocket was so furious that he allegedly binned his cue in the players’ lounge.
It was later retrieved by his manager, Robbie.
