Ronnie O'Sullivan 'very bored' in win over Andy Hicks in Belfast - 'I wasn't bothered if I won or lost'

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 15/10/2021 at 11:21 GMT

"I kind of struggled with the table and I struggled with the atmosphere - there was really no atmosphere out there," O'Sullivan told Eurosport. "I was really not enjoying the atmosphere and wasn't really bothered if I won or lost, to be honest with you. That's not a good attitude to have, so I tried to talk myself out of it, but it is what it is, you know."

Ronnie O'Sullivan has admitted that he was "very bored" during his win over Andy Hicks at the Northern Ireland Open, and he was less than happy with the atmosphere in Belfast.

The Rocket was a 4-1 winner in the first-round match, but he revealed to Eurosport in his studio interview that he was not overly impressed with the conditions and "struggled" to get up for the occasion.

"I kind of struggled with the table and I struggled with the atmosphere - there was really no atmosphere out there," O'Sullivan told Eurosport.

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"I'm playing alright, so normally I can generate the atmosphere but, I don't know... it felt like years ago, every time we played a tournament, every match felt like a big night, like a Champions League night, whereas out there, it was poor... it was hard.

"I don't know, you've got all these games going on, you've got people walking about, you know... I struggled. It's the atmosphere. These flat draws, you've just got to hope you get through to the quarters and click into a spark.

"It was very flat out there. I was very bored out there... I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, to be honest with you. I was thinking, 'please, just don't let this go long, two-three hours'.

I was really not enjoying the atmosphere and wasn't really bothered if I won or lost, to be honest with you.

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O'Sullivan closes out comfortable win over Hicks in Belfast

"That's not a good attitude to have, so I tried to talk myself out of it, but it is what it is, you know."

Looking ahead to his second-round match, O'Sullivan added: "Hopefully the atmosphere is a little bit better than it was tonight. Yeah, listen, it is what it is, you know... it's paid practice for me.

"I come here and hit a few balls... it's all a bit of a bonus, you know, so I'm not really too bothered either way really, just, yeah."

O’Sullivan, who has lost in the final of the tournament for the last three years in succession, was not at his very best at any stage but still made four half-century breaks and only conceded a solitary frame.

The Rocket will next take on Alfie Burden, who was a 4-2 winner against Yuan Sijun, in the second round in Belfast.

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Stream the Northern Ireland Open live and on demand on discovery+, the Eurosport app and eurosport.com.

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