Returning O’Sullivan feared Crucible ‘meltdown’published at 20:38 British Summer Time
O’Sullivan 10-4 Carter
Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre
Image source, Getty ImagesRonnie O’Sullivan said he was “worried” about returning to snooker, fearing he would “implode” and “have a meltdown” in his first competitive match since January.
O’Sullivan, 49, beat Ali Carter 10-4 on Wednesday in their first-round tie.
“I lost the buzz for playing because I wasn’t able to execute shots,” said O’Sullivan. “I was bailing out of shots. I was having to play a different game that I didn’t enjoy and it didn’t feel like I could express myself, so it got really tough.”
Asked if there were times in the past week where he thought he had made a mistake about returning to snooker, O’Sullivan said: “Yeah, totally.
“I thought ‘what am I doing coming here, exposing myself, [potentially] imploding out there, having a meltdown?’ All that went through my head. I told [sports psychiatrist] Steve Peters that and he said ‘I’m coming – I will get you through the first match’.
“I was quite a bit scared coming and playing. It’s a daunting venue to play at anyway but it’s about getting on the bike again and playing and I’m really proud that I’ve done that.”
