Ronnie O’Sullivan admitted he “can’t be bothered” with snooker anymore after a dramatic encounter with Robert Milkins at the UK Championship on Thursday. The Rocket defeated Milkins 6-5 in a nip-and-tuck affair that frustrated the seven-time world champion.
During the match, O’Sullivan threw down his cue in anger after misplacing a shot in the final frame but the 47-year-old recovered well and is now set to face Zhou Yuelong in the quarter-finals. However, the Brit was far from pleased with his performance.
“I had to grind out another win for my sins. It’s a crazy game, it still torments me after 30 years,” O’Sullivan told BBC Sport. “I thought he deserved to win. I couldn’t feel anything, I was just all over the show. I haven’t got a clue any more, I don’t understand how this game works.
“I gave up a long time ago, I just keep turning up and stinking out gaffs. I stunk it out today and I’ll probably stink it out tomorrow.”
“Mentally it’s hard for me. I’m not going to kill myself out there, but I still want to play,” added O’Sullivan, who has never lost to Milkins in a ranking tournament.
“I just can’t be bothered any more. I just don’t want it bad enough, that’s the problem. I’m having to dig deep, whereas when I was younger I didn’t have to did deep and I was so hungry.
“Now I don’t really care any more. Competitive sport is really hard, it’s not always about how good you are, it’s about how much you want it.”
Zhou came out as a deserved 6-3 victor over three-time UK winner John Higgins in their round-of-16 clash and is brimming with confidence heading into Friday’s match against O’Sullivan. “Ronnie’s my idol, but I believe I can beat him,” said Zhou.
