Ronnie O’Sullivan admitted he didn’t enjoy his first-round win over Dave Gilbert at World Grand Prix but insisted he still loves snooker.
The 44-year old, who currently stands 4th in the World rankings, hadn’t competed since losing in the Scottish Open quarter-finals in December 2019 to Mark Selby. During the match with Gilbert, it was obvious that the Rocket felt a bit sluggish – something he admitted himself.
“Not really, I really struggled, I was way off the pace,” Ronnie told WST.
“Just a really strange game, you know. He was much the better player, I was just hanging on, not much enjoyment but obviously pleased with the result. I don’t really want to talk about rustiness, I just want to talk about the match, everybody has the opportunity to play in all the tournaments, it’s just whatever schedule you choose to play.”
“Obviously it’s nice to win the [final] frame in one visit, I had a couple of chances at 3-1 to win it but just kept messing positional play up. Basically just getting used to playing on decent tables again, six weeks of playing on not so good tables, you come out here and your touch is a bit all over the show. That takes a bit of getting used to.”
O’Sullivan claims he still loves the game
“I get a buzz when I play in front of anybody, I love playing, enjoy hitting the ball, it’s the ultimate feeling, I just enjoy the game,” O’Sullivan said.
“I’d rather not speak about missing this or missing that. I’m here to enjoy this tournament, I’m loving the game and enjoying what I’m doing.”
Ronnie will now go on to face Lian Wenbo, who eliminated Mark Allen in the first round. Their match will be played tonight at 7 PM.
