Ronnie To Keep Playing

[Scaramouche]

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Sporting Life
O'Sullivan: No Retirement Plans

Wed 20 Aug, 08:09 AM

Ronnie O'Sullivan insists he could never quit snooker while his father remains in prison.

The three-times world champion's father, also called Ronnie, has been in jail for the last 16 years after being convicted of murder, although he could be eligible for release from next year.

And O'Sullivan, 32, admits the pleasure his performances give his father prevent him from retiring, despite repeated threats to do so.

"I haven't thought too much about what it would be like to see him there in the arena when I was playing, or winning a title and lifting the trophy," he told the Daily Express.

"The important thing for me now is to just keep going so that he has something to look forward to.

"He has said to me, 'every time you play it's like a visit to me' - so how can I give up when that's all he has got to look forward to sometimes?

"So when things aren't going so well and I'm not enjoying it, I have to think what maybe it would do to my dad if I stopped."

 

[TheWizard]

This is only a small insight as to the kind of guy that Ronnie is

Alot of people find it all too easy to put Ronnie down in times when he is depressed and feels like quitting, which is understandable because they don't really know how to understand Ronnie as a person, and not just some guy who plays snooker on TV

I think that alot more people should be taking their hat off to Ronnie in respect and admiration, because there is not another snooker player around in the pro circuit today, that can play to such a high standard and also please the crowd the way that Ronnie can, his level of talent and character at the table is second to none, which is the very thing that makes him so popular with the fans

As a fellow cuesports player, as a person, and as a 1 time coach, I have a great deal of respect for Ronnie and I don't think there's anything that will chance that and I'm glad that Ronnie is able to find some more inner strength and peace of mind in knowing how much his snooker career and performances on the table are giving his dad something to be proud of

I think that I'm going to be putting a bet down on Ronnie winning the Northern Ireland Trophy because when Ronnie gets finds a reason to keep playing and gains inner strength and peace of mind, there is very little that can stop him from winning a tournament once he gets going

Willie