O'Sullivan renews threat to quit

By Phil Harlow
BBC Sport at The Crucible

Feature: Where does Ronnie rank?

World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan has again hinted at a wish for a future outside of snooker.

O'Sullivan has won four tournaments this season and is hot favourite to win a third world title, but seemed blasé about the sport he dominates.

"I've struggled all season with my game and I have not really been enjoying it," he told BBC Sport.

"My heart's not really in it. I've had a good career, I have enjoyed it and I am quite settled."

The defending world champion - universally regarded as a sporting genius - has a long history of declaring his boredom with snooker, but remains by far the biggest draw in the sport.

O'Sullivan down despite win

"I am just reflecting on my career," he added.

"I will play this tournament and see what happens, and then play next season and see how I feel. I have got a few ideas and we will see what happens."

O'Sullivan - who did not elaborate on his "ideas" - was speaking in the aftermath of his stirring fightback against provisional world number three Stephen Maguire on Saturday.

At the moment I am just not really interested Ronnie O'Sullivan

Despite the thrilling outcome to an engrossing contest, O'Sullivan claimed he was ambivalent about the outcome of the match.

"I was thinking I would be quite happy just to go home and I was relieved the season was coming to an end," he said.

"I have to be honest with how I feel otherwise I feel I am kidding myself.

"I am still pleased to be through but it wouldn't have been such a terrible thing if I had lost. Whichever way it had ended I would have won, so in a way I had nothing to lose.

"Winning isn't everything to me. It is obviously nice but I have to play decent snooker.

"I had a tough draw against Stephen last year and knowing I was playing him again made me knuckle down a week before Sheffield.

He knows he's head and shoulders above the rest and he's a bit bored From MB Have your say on Five Live

"I haven't really practised all season, I have just been going through the motions. At least now I have prepared for the tournament as best as I could.

"I love winning, it is the practice and lifestyle that goes with it [I don't like].

"It is quite an isolated lifestyle if you want to be the best. I have got a heavy schedule but that is what I have to do to make sure I am ahead of the rest.

"It is quite demanding and I don't know if I can do another four or five years of that. Maybe I will have to settle for being number eight or nine in the world.

"As long as I am in the top 16, when the appetite comes back I can kick on again. But at the moment I am just not really interested."