Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed he is not ready to retire from snooker but is uncertain whether he can restore his world champion form.
Snooker fans are waiting eagerly for the return of O’Sullivan, who has withdrawn from many events this year.
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He snapped his cue in a moment of rage after a Championship League defeat in January.
The 49-year-old has pulled out of five tournaments since the incident and has opened up on his struggles.
O’Sullivan is scheduled to return for the World Championship starts Saturday, April 19 – where he is the fourth-seed.
The season-ending event takes place in Sheffield and will end Monday May 5.
An appearance from the seven-time winner would be a record-extending 33rd in a row.
Recently he told the Daily Mail: “I’m not quitting just yet, but I will give myself two years to try and figure it out.
“I don’t want to finish my career feeling like I wasn’t really performing to the level that I know I can.
“I don’t have to win tournaments, but I just want to feel like I’m enjoying the game. I’d like to go out with a smile on my face.”
O’Sullivan has talked about his mental struggles during his career, detailing the toll winning world championships placed on him.
He compared the mental strength required to play snooker at a high level to chess.
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He continued: “I have to try and repair myself and just try and find how I used to play snooker. It’s a massive rebuilding process and probably the last one I’ll ever have to do as a snooker player.
“Do I think I can do it? Probably not if I’m being honest.
“I think it’s probably a bit too late in my career and I’m probably damaged goods in the form of a snooker player.
“You take a lot of battle scars over the years. But I’m not prepared to quit at this point because I feel like I would be quitting on a bit of a low.”
O’Sullivan was most recently seen at his snooker academy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week, where he is reported to have made two 147 breaks.
On Instagram he said: “It felt really good to be back out on the table.”
