Ronnie O’Sullivan’s long-awaited Crucible return could be CANCELLED despite confirming he will play. The Rocket – who is gunning to win a record eighth Snooker World Championship in Sheffield – was drawn to face long-term foe Ali Carter in the opening round.
And while there was still doubt over his participation immediately after the draw, O’Sullivan announced that he would be taking to the table. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “I’m proud to continue my record of having never missed a World Championship.
“I have many fond memories at The Crucible and look forward to making more in 2025. I’ve enjoyed some good prep with my (new!) cue over the last week so feel good ahead of Tuesday.”
But an injury to his upcoming opponent Carter has thrown the match into major doubt, with Carter struggling with a painful neck issue. Asked how he felt about drawing O’Sullivan, he said: “No comment.”
The 45-year-old then added: “I really couldn’t tell you how it happened. It just came on to the extent where I literally had a coffee one morning. I literally couldn’t move my neck at all. I couldn’t do anything. It impacts my sleep. It’s terrible. I have hardly slept for three days.
“Honestly. It was like someone giving you a Chinese burn but on your neck. I lay that way. I lay this way trying to get comfortable. I will go and see someone when I get back. I have a few days to myself. I will get someone on the firm, don’t worry.
“Honestly, as you all know, I have been through a lot in my life, this pain was the most excruciating pain I have ever felt. My mate drove me to the qualifiers and every time we went over a bump, I was going Aaargh!
“I had already written this World Championship off to be honest with you. It is amazing, when you take the pressure off yourself what can happen. Last year I put all the pressure on myself and I played like a muppet there. We will just see what happens.”
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O’Sullivan’s opening match with snooker was dubbed as snooker’s latest grudge match after a war of words between him and Carter over recent years. After The Rocket beat his rival to last year’s Masters title, Carter accused him of “snotting on the floor” at the Alexandra Palace.
That triggered O’Sullivan to launch into a foul-mouthed rant in the immediate aftermath as he claimed Carter needed to ‘sort his f***ing life out’ while suggesting his opponent was a ‘a f***ing nightmare’. He has since shown remorse for that outburst, suggesting that he had regrets about his comments in January.
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