The show doesn’t deliver Ronnie O’Sullivan this time

One of them is that he sometimes cancels a few hours before a tournament. Reason: no desire, not fit – whatever! Nobody would be forgiven for something like that, with one exception: Ronnie O’Sullivan.

“The fans here are great,” said the Englishman after his successful start at the German Masters against the Chinese Long Zehuang. Only the table was incredibly fast. In the next round, Ali Carter, with whom O’Sullivan has had many arguments, is waiting. “Oh, Ali,” he said when this was told to him. “My favorite opponent.”

O’Sullivan last competed at the German Masters in Berlin in 2017. He lost in the first round and people wondered how long his career would last. As it turned out: for a long time!

Ronnie O’Sullivan is now 50 years old. Many grew up with the Englishman, who, even as a teenager, sometimes outclassed his opponents at a dizzying pace.

O’Sullivan could play with both hands, he also converted long balls with somnambulism, and his matchmaking was second to none. The world had never seen a player like him before.

His only drawback: his mental state. O’Sullivan suffered and continues to suffer from depression. At a young age he tried to fight it with drugs and alcohol – which of course was doomed to failure.

O’Sullivan has already won seven world titles

The experts are sure that a mentally healthy Ronnie O’Sullivan could have won many more titles. But there have been many, including winning seven world championships.

His talent makes it possible for him to be able to play at the top level even at this old age, even by snooker standards. O’Sullivan became world champion in 2022 at the age of 46 – no one has ever achieved that at this age.

But how many good years does he have left? On Tuesday he had a hard time against Long Zehuang. After a missed bullet, he repeatedly stuck his tongue out of his mouth and shook his head. Once he fiddled with the bitter orange on his cue for minutes. A small, protruding hair on the bitter orange bothered him, he said. O’Sullivan was visibly uncomfortable, but it was still enough to win the game 5-1.

O’Sullivan – nickname: The Rocket – didn’t deliver a show like he used to. When things got loud in the atmospheric Tempodrom, the reigning world champion Zhao Xintong was responsible.

The Chinese played almost perfect snooker in the 5-0 win over his compatriot Jiang Jun. The long balls, the game structure – everything was right. Zhao Xintong has often referred to Ronnie O’Sullivan as his great idol. Now he may have outgrown this. On the other hand: If anyone can cheat age, it’s the brilliant Ronnie O’Sullivan. Maybe at the German Masters in Berlin these days.