Ronnie O'Sullivan: To love or not to love

The year was 1992. Ronald, a young Englishman, having just turned professional, won the UK Championship. What made the achievement exceptional was that the boy – well, he was just 17 – was the youngest ever snooker player to win a ranking title. To make things more interesting, the boy’s father had just been given a life sentence for murder. His mother soon followed into jail for tax evasion.

In 1996, Ronald was found guilty of physically assaulting an official at the World Championship. He was given a 2-year suspended sentence, a £20,000 fine and a further £10,000 donation to a charity was advised. The same year, he beat Alain Robidoux 10-3. While nothing seems wrong with that, Ronald beat Robidoux playing left-handed. Unsurprisingly, Robidoux didn’t offer to shake hands at the end of the match.

In 1998, Ronald tested positive for marijuana after having won another title. He was later stripped of that title. Ten years later, Ronald was fined his appearance-money and world-ranking points that he had earned from the China Open for making lewd remarks and gestures in the press conference following his loss in the final.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Ronnie O’Sullivan

Had he been another player, Ronald “The Rocket“ O’Sullivan would have been criticized to no end. But then it helps if you are the most talented player in the history of the sport. While snooker has moved away from the days of the Franciscos, Wurbeniuk, Knowles and Higgins, O’Sullivan continues to be a throwback to the 1970s and 1980s, when the cueist was more than just a machine. And the latest chapter of Ronnie’s life only makes one wonder: is all the talent in the world worth the drama, the tantrums, and the sheer disrespect to the sport? But then, maybe that’s what disrespect seems like when you are a mortal. For someone who is a living legend of the game, the sport itself takes a back seat when you are suffering with depression and need a sports psychiatrist to help you through and get hold of your emotions. The cliché “tortured genius” has never been more apt, and it’s a shame as Ronnie is anything but a cliché.

Ronnie’s return from his sabbatical to defend his Crucible title this year has only reinforced the argument that he continues to be in a league of his own, and he is as aware of it as his fans. In an interview with the BBC last month, O’Sullivan compared his return to snooker to a Rolling Stones reunion. “If you had the Rolling Stones doing a gig after a long break, it would be like: ‘I’ve got to get a ticket.’ And in some sort of way this is the same,” said O’Sullivan.

And what a reunion it proved to be. Thirteen century breaks in the tournament – with six of them coming in the final against Barry Hawkins – meant that the field was outclassed by some distance. And all this while he thought he was playing terrible for most of the tournament. He had his reasons though. Having played just one competitive match in the past twelve months, there was bound to be some rustiness. However, O’Sullivan’s triumph only led to his fellow players looking silly, with the man comfortably winning on his return after having taken a year off. These are the sort of acts which shape legends, and O’Sullivan’s grip over the audience was well summarized by a despondent Marcus Campbell after his defeat to O’Sullivan in the first round. “I played one shot, where I bent the green round the blue with check-side off the bottom cushion and landed absolutely perfect on the brown and I got a ripple of applause,” said Campbell. “If Ronnie had played it, it would have brought the house down.”

While O’Sullivan’s rapid game earned him the sobriquet of “the Rocket” and the love of millions of fans worldwide, his bizarre turnarounds have left many stumped. Post his quarter-final win, O’Sullivan disclosed that this year’s Crucible could be his last major event as he had fallen out of love with the game and had come to defend his world title only because he needed the money. Three days later, his win against Judd Trump in the semis saw him saying that he doesn’t know where all the money has gone and could not afford to retire. And if this wasn’t enough, post his victory in the final a couple of days later, the Rocket said that he couldn’t say if he would defend the title again in 2014 as he had “enjoyed his year out.”

True, such contradictory emotions and the blatant disregard for the passion with which other professionals strive to achieve greatness can pose problems for some, but O’Sullivan’s pulling power ensures that there is room only for one villain, and that role has already been taken by Barry Hearn. Fans won’t give a jot over O’Sullivan shooting his mouth off, as long as he continues to play a brand and level of snooker few will ever match. If anything, his persona and character only make things even more endearing. Here is a man who can create magic on the baize, while being reduced to a mere mortal due to his inner demons. He might have returned for the money, but was honest enough to say so. And in a world where athletes lie blatantly due to the contracts they enter into, Ronnie’s straightforwardness is beyond refreshing. He admits to his frailties and weaknesses, and that brings him closer than ever to the common man.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Ronnie O’Sullivan

“People go on about how I blew them away but I wish people could walk a few days in my shoes… it might come across as easy but I was digging deep out there – I wish I could feel what you’re seeing.”

Whatever decision he finally takes, there will never be another Ronnie, and he will forever be cherished.