Ronnie O’Sullivan 'not really that disappointed' about shock Luca Brecel defeat at World Snooker Championship
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Updated 26/04/2023 at 16:58 GMT
Ronnie O’Sullivan has opened up on his shock defeat against Luca Brecel in the quarter-finals of the World Championship, calling his opponent an "unbelievable talent". O’Sullivan was stunned by the Belgian Bullet, who won all seven frames in the final session to complete a remarkable comeback. It means O'Sullivan's bid to surpass Stephen Hendry with an eighth world crown is over for 2023.
Exclusive: O’Sullivan ‘not really that disappointed’ about shock Crucible exit
Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is “not really that disappointed” about his dramatic 13-10 defeat to Luca Brecel at the World Championship.
O’Sullivan looked out of sorts as he squandered a 10-6 lead in Wednesday's afternoon session, with Brecel winning seven consecutive frames.
It means The Rocket has failed to win a ranking title this season and is likely to lose his place as world No. 1.
"I’m not really that disappointed,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport. “I wish I was but you kind of get to the point where you're like, ‘Why am I playing snooker?’
"I love the lifestyle, I love my life, I love everything I do with snooker. I don’t just play snooker. Part of it is playing, I’ve accepted that to not get too down on myself. It’s just a snooker match at the end of the day.
“I've probably lost here 24 times and won seven times so the law of averages say at some point you have to get beat. This year was the one time, I’m sure I’ll have another good performance at the Crucible, but who knows? We’ll just wait and see.”
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‘The win of his life’ – Sensational Brecel stuns O’Sullivan
Although O’Sullivan carried a four-frame lead into the final session, he showed signs of being far from his best on Tuesday.
O’Sullivan said he felt good prior to the match but admitted he made too many mistakes.
“I felt alright, I just thought I’d have to hang on and graft it out and see what happens, but I just didn’t put up any resistance,” he said.
“The chance I did have, I didn’t score heavy enough. Ran out of position a lot, chasing the game, the other guy’s playing well, putting you under pressure. Sometimes you just don’t win, it’s simple, the other guy plays better.”
He added: “I’m going to try and go on holiday, do a few days here for Eurosport. They’ve been kind to me, so I’ll hang around for a few days.
“I’ll start my running again, looking forward to it. Knock the ciggies on the head, knock the scones on the head, try to eat a bit healthier, look after myself... get back home and a few things to look forward to in the summer.
"I'm not downbeat as everyone thinks I will be. I’m sorry about that, if anyone gets offended by it, you just have a perspective on things and sometimes you have to take the rough with the smooth."
Brecel had not won a match at the World Championship before this year but has reached the semi-finals in style with impressive wins against Ding Junhui, Mark Williams and now O’Sullivan.
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O’Sullivan pulls funny face after missed red against Brecel
At the end of the match, O’Sullivan revealed he told the Belgian Bullet to go on and win the title.
“I just said 'I hope you go and win it, you played fantastic, you have been brilliant for snooker',” he said.
“He's an unbelievable talent. I’ve played snooker a long time and I’ve not seen anybody hit the ball as good and he just whips through it, it’s amazing.
“I enjoyed watching him play, it was a joy to watch. The crowd had a good time and if anyone tries to pick holes in that [performance], good luck to them.
“I love watching him play, what a lovely player to watch. He hits the ball so well - gets so much action into the white, hits the ball solid, strong, floats balls in, stuns balls in, punches balls, got cue power.
“Alright, he can miss a few but when you can hit a ball like that, why wouldn’t you go for those shots? If I could hit a ball [like that] I would be taking them on.”
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