Ronnie O’Sullivan is working as a pundit at the Masters. (Image: Eurosport)
has compared professional to chess and revealed why he snubbed football as a youngster. ‘The Rocket’ prompted concern among fans and fellow players last week when he , but has since claimed mental fatigue led to his decision.
The 49-year-old has instead been working as a pundit for Eurosport during the tournament, and was on duty for Mark Selby’s resounding 6-1 win over Ali Carter.
Post-match, he was joined in the studio by ‘The Jester’ and lavished praise on his rival’s tactical play.
“You look at all these chess players,” said the seven-time world champion. “They’re all nuts, and they get away with it. This is chess with balls. It is a mental sport. You’ve got to be so clever, thinking so many moves ahead. Well, this is no different. This is Kasparov sitting here.”
O’Sullivan was referring to the Russian grandmaster Garry Kasaprov, who famously became the youngest undisputed world champion in 1985, aged 22. He still holds the record for the most consecutive professional tournament wins with 15.
Selby looked embarrassed by the comparison, but O’Sullivan doubled down on his view. “No, I’m serious. It’s not like football where they’re running around and they’re diving in.
O’Sullivan in action in China earlier this month. (Image: Getty)
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“They got their team-mates, there’s adrenaline, and then you ain’t got time to think. This is like pure. That’s what I said to you, I don’t want my kids to ever play this sport.”
Selby then chimed in, suggesting that in snooker there was no hiding place, unlike in football where you often have 10 other players to mask mistakes. But O’Sullivan argued that was the exact reason he turned his back on team sports.
“When you’re younger, like when I used to play football as a kid, the reason why I wanted to play snooker was because I didn’t want to rely on anyone,” he explained. “I don’t know if you (Selby) felt the same but I thought no, I’m going to take snooker up.
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“Because I thought, I got these 10 team-mates here, am I going to put my faith in someone else? No I’d rather do this (snooker) because I’m actually in control of this.”
O’Sullivan also called for more mental health support for players, with him and Selby speaking openly about the difficulties of being on tour. The pair suggested the World Snooker Tour should employ someone full-time to be on hand at professional tournaments.