Ronnie O’Sullivan’s name is inseparable from modern snooker.
For more than three decades, “The Rocket” has defined excellence, controversy, brilliance, and unpredictability in equal measure. With seven World Championships, a record 41 ranking titles, and an unprecedented 23 Triple Crown victories, O’Sullivan’s legacy as one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen is secure. Yet as the 49-year-old continues to rewrite records while simultaneously stepping away from tournaments and openly questioning the value of snooker itself, a once-unthinkable question grows louder: how much longer will Ronnie O’Sullivan remain part of the sport he has dominated?
O’Sullivan’s career has been extraordinary not just for its success, but for its longevity. Turning professional at just 16 in 1992, he became the youngest-ever winner of a ranking title at the 1993 UK Championship and the youngest Masters champion two years later. Now, remarkably, he holds the opposite distinction as well—becoming the oldest winner of the World Championship, UK Championship, and Masters between 2022 and 2024. His ability to compete with, and often defeat, players half his age has defied conventional sporting decline.
From a purely technical standpoint, O’Sullivan remains a marvel. He has compiled over 1,300 century breaks, 17 officially recognised maximums, and still produces snooker at a pace and fluency few can match. As recently as 2025, he became the oldest player to make a maximum break, recording two in the same match at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. These moments suggest a player who, physically and mentally, can still perform at the highest level.
And yet, the warning signs are difficult to ignore.
During the 2024–25 season, O’Sullivan withdrew from nine tournaments, including marquee events such as the Masters and World Grand Prix, tournaments he was the favourite to win in the online betting. Extended absences, once rare in his career, are becoming increasingly common. While he has often spoken about managing his schedule and protecting his mental health, the frequency of withdrawals fuels speculation that motivation—rather than ability—is now the defining challenge.
This would not be surprising given O’Sullivan’s complicated relationship with snooker. Throughout his career, he has been candid about depression, addiction, and burnout. His battles off the table are as much a part of his story as his triumphs on it. From public confrontations with officials to mid-match concessions and scathing critiques of the sport’s governance, O’Sullivan has rarely hidden his frustrations.
In recent years, those frustrations have taken on a more existential tone. He has described snooker as a “bad sport” that can damage players’ lives, criticised the solitary nature of practice, and even stated that he would not want his own children to pursue the game. For a man who has given his life to snooker, such comments carry significant weight. They suggest not just disillusionment with administration or formats, but a deeper questioning of whether the sport has been worth the personal cost.
Ironically, O’Sullivan’s continued success only sharpens the dilemma. His seventh World Championship title in 2022, achieved at the age of 46, equalled Stephen Hendry’s modern-era record and silenced any lingering doubts about his greatness. Since then, he has added further Triple Crown titles, extended his ranking record, and remained a box-office draw wherever he plays. The sport still revolves around him—television audiences spike, ticket sales rise, and younger players measure themselves against him.
But dominance can become a burden. O’Sullivan has often spoken about feeling trapped by expectations, both his own and those of the public. When motivation wanes, his performances can swing wildly, reinforcing the long-held notion of the “two Ronnies”: one an unstoppable genius, the other disengaged and openly uninterested. As the physical demands of elite competition increase with age, sustaining the hunger required to compete week in, week out becomes ever more difficult.
There is also the question of what remains to be achieved. With every major record either held or matched, O’Sullivan no longer chases history—he embodies it. While milestones like an eighth world title remain possible, they are no longer necessary to validate his career. Instead, he seems increasingly drawn to projects outside the traditional tour: ambassadorial roles, exhibition events, broadcasting, writing, and promoting snooker in new markets such as Saudi Arabia.
This does not necessarily signal an imminent retirement. O’Sullivan has repeatedly resisted setting timelines, preferring to take each season as it comes. Yet the pattern of selective participation suggests a gradual transition rather than a dramatic farewell. He may continue to appear at the biggest stages—the Crucible, the Masters, invitationals—while stepping away from the relentless grind of the full tour.
Ultimately, Ronnie O’Sullivan’s future in snooker may be defined less by decline than by choice. Unlike most players, he does not need the sport for relevance, money, or validation. If he walks away tomorrow, his status as arguably the greatest of all time would remain untouched.
The real question, then, is not whether O’Sullivan can continue—but whether he wants to. As long as the fire still flickers, snooker will savour every frame he plays. When it finally goes out, the sport will not just lose a champion, but a once-in-a-generation force it may never see again.
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