O'Sullivan: Tortured soul who defies convention pacifies his demons

Other Sports

O'Sullivan brush strokes create a vivid third title

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

If there was joy at Ronnie O'Sullivan's third world title last night, there was also some regret that it was only a third triumph for the most naturally talented player in the history of the game. But there is also fresh hope that he has years at the top still ahead, if he chooses.

The consensus says that snooker is now a young man's game. Since 1986, no one but O'Sullivan – who is now 32 – has won the marathon that is the World Championship when aged over 31. But then, convention is not O'Sullivan's thing and, with no contenders within touching distance when the mood takes him, there should be no reason he cannot add multiple world titles from now on.

The man himself is a bundle of contradictions. Within minutes of picking up the trophy last night he said he hoped there would be more. Twenty minutes later he was talking about having "options open" to him if he decided to quit, something he has regularly considered in the past. And then, minutes after saying that, he said: "I don't know how many more I can win. I can win a few. One, two. I don't really know."

There are three Ronnies already in the O'Sullivan family: his dad, himself and his son. There are many more inside his own head.

Stephen Hendry has won a record seven titles at The Crucible and Steve Davis six. Aside from those two players, only O'Sullivan now has more than two, last night's success adding to the titles he picked up in 2001 and 2004.

Hendry, who is now 39, reached the semi-finals this year before O'Sullivan sent him packing, thanks largely to an 8-0 whitewash in their second session. So why should the Rocket not still be competing for the crown for another seven or eight years?

"Because of his demons" is the most obvious answer – they have dogged him, in the form of depression, and have, at times, led him into trouble via alcohol and drugs. And then there is the torment he has suffered since 1992 – incidentally the year he turned professional – when his father was jailed for life for murder. The judge at his trial recommended he serve 18 years and Ronnie Snr will remain behind bars until 2010.

"I think about the day of his release all the time," O'Sullivan said recently. "I have thought about it every hour of every day since he was locked up."

On that evidence alone, it is hard to imagine anything O'Sullivan would relish more than his father being able to watch in person as he wins the 2011 world title.

This season O'Sullivan has shown he is back at his best, reaching four finals and winning two: the UK Championship before last night. He has also made three maximum 147 breaks since November, the latest against Mark Williams last week. There have been 65 maximums since detailed records began in 1955. O'Sullivan has hit nine, a record, including the five fastest.

His ability, when applied without any of the troubles that have distracted him over the years, cannot be matched. Leaving aside the breakdowns, bust-ups, fines for assaulting officials, a failed drugs test, a driving conviction, a prison sentence for his mother Maria (for tax evasion) and umpteen other distractions, when in form and in the mood he is as close to unplayable as it is possible to be. His semi-final second session against Hendry was a prime example, causing seasoned commentators to talk about the finest display of snooker they had ever seen.

O'Sullivan's current health kick involves running between 30 and 50 miles per week. It has, he says, played a huge part in his great season. He says it is the "staple" in his life now, and that he finds it "totally cleansing". He has even talked about choosing running over snooker, were such a decision to be forced upon him.

It will not be forced upon him, of course, but just around the corner there is another choice to be made, by snooker's governing body, the WPBSA, that may impact on O'Sullivan, and even the game itself. O'Sullivan faces disciplinary action for making lewd comments and gestures at a press conference at the China Open in March. He is embarrassed, and genuinely contrite. He has even posted an apology – in Chinese – on his personal website.

The authorities know harsh treatment risks alienating the Rocket. They also know that the game needs him more than he needs the game.

Pocket Rocket: Ronnie O'Sullivan's previous world titles

*2001

O'Sullivan wins his first World Championship, beating the Scotsman John Higgins 18-14. The Rocket dominated from the early stages of the 35-frame final against the 1998 champion. O'Sullivan completed the job with a break of 80 in the 32nd frame to become the first Englishman to win the title for 10 years.

*2004

O'Sullivan's second title was won against the 200-1 outsider Graeme Dott 18-8. The victory came after the six-times world champion Ray Reardon agreed to give O'Sullivan psychological and technical advice. O'Sullivan caused controversy in the early rounds by banging the table and making apparently obscene gestures.