A maturing O'Sullivan

BBC Sport's Clive Everton reflects on Ronnie O'Sullivan's remarks after his latest victory at the UK Championship on the possibility of retiring

Ronnie O'Sullivan, 25 next week, is pursuing his third Liverpool Victoria UK title and seems a little on the young side, even for a snooker player, to talk of retirement.

After beating Dave Harold to reach the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan complained that his "mind was too active" to sit about twiddling his thumbs on his non-competing days.

He has also discovered that five or six hours practice per day is counter-productive.

"I've got to question my long term future. I don't know whether I'll be doing this in three or six months," O'Sullivan said.

O'Sullivan has spoken of retirement before, but has always seemed to be longing for a relief from pressure rather than from the satisfactions of a game he loves.

Regret

He appreciates, though, that he would look back in old age with great regret if he had left the game without winning a world title.

Ronnie misses the 'buzz' in snooker

It took until three months ago for O'Sullivan to win the battle with depression which had dragged him down for two years.

Even titles did not always relieve his bleak all round mood.

He complains now of not experiencing "the buzz" or the excitement he used to feel going into tournaments, but any tournament circuit settles after a few years on it into something more resembling a job of work than it did at the start.

O'Sullivan's growing maturity evidenced by improved concentration and more disciplined shot selection has helped him greatly.

He has already won the Champions Cup and Regal Scottish Masters this season with another final and quarter-final to show from the two other events.

I can't believe he will walk away from snooker for several years yet, even if there are aspects of a future snooker player's life he finds uncongenial.

He is, in fact, acquiring the professionalism to cope with them.