Ronnie O’Sullivan has decided he WILL play at the World Snooker Championship – and will face old foe Ali Carter in the first round on Tuesday.
The record seven-time world champion admitted a fortnight ago he had not yet made up his mind on whether he would make his 33rd consecutive Crucible appearance, having not played in a tournament since January.
However, Mail Sport understands O’Sullivan has now decided to make his competitive comeback in Sheffield.
The 49-year-old is set to appear at the traditional pre-tournament media day at the Crucible on Friday before his match against Carter on Tuesday.
On his chances of winning an eighth world crown, O’Sullivan recently told Mail Sport: ‘If I was to go to Sheffield, I’d be happy with just winning a match.
‘I think that’d be a good result for me. If I got one win, I’d be over the moon.’
Ronnie O’Sullivan has decided he will play the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible
The record seven-time world champion has not competed in a tournament since January
O’Sullivan told Mail Sport earlier this month he would be happy with ‘one win’ if he played
O’Sullivan has not competed in a tournament since snapping his cue in anger at the Champions League in Leicester in January.
Addressing his chances of playing at the Crucible when asked by Mail Sport a fortnight ago, he said: ‘If you’d asked me three days ago, I’d have said, “100 per cent I’m playing”, because I found something, and I was like, “Wow, I’m hitting the ball good”.
‘The confidence came back and it lasted for three days, and I was like, “Oh yeah, I fancy it”. But then the last two days, it’s gone downhill. It seems to be one step forward, two steps back.
’As I sit here, it’s highly unlikely I’ll play in the World Championship. But I’ve got some practice sessions booked in with a very, very good player who is in the top 16 on April 14th, 15th and 16th. So I’m going to give myself until that very last practice session to just see where my game is at.
‘If I think, “You know what, it’s all right”, I’ll probably play. But if it’s like it is today, it’s just not going to be pretty for me.
‘Obviously, I snapped my cue and I’m still trying to find a cue I’m comfortable with, which I haven’t yet been able to do.
‘I’d love to be back playing. I really, really would. Pulling out of tournaments ain’t good for me. It’s not what I want to be doing. I want to be out there competing.
‘The last three or four weeks I’ve been practising a hell of a lot. But at the start of the season I was getting scared to go near the practice table and getting scared to get my cue out of my case.
O’Sullivan has been drawn to face Ali Carter in the first round of the World Championships
O’Sullivan admitted has regret over his outburst at Carter after last year’s Masters final
The pair engaged in a war of words after O’Sullivan defeating his old rival 10-7 last January
O’Sullivan delivered a middle finger riposte when engaging in his extraordinary rant at Carter
‘I got to the end of my tether with my game. Now I’m just focusing on getting that fixed because if I don’t get that fixed, there are no tournaments.’
O’Sullivan has history with his first round opponent Carter, with the pair having clashed after their Masters final showdown last year.
O’Sullivan described Carter as ‘a f***ing nightmare’ and claimed he needs to ‘see a counsellor’ after beating his rival 10-7 in the final last January.
‘He needs to sort his f***ing life out. I’m not going to skirt around it any more, tip-toeing on eggshells around someone like that. He’s a f***ing nightmare,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He’s not a nice person. It’s not a nice vibe he leaves around the table.
‘I’ve said my piece, I don’t give a s***. I’ve said it now, done. You know what he’s like, everybody knows what he’s like.
‘He’s got issues. F***ing why has he got issues with me? I’m not having it.’
O’Sullivan expletive laden response followed an accusation from Carter that he had ‘snotted on the floor’ during their match at Alexandra Palace.
The two were involved in a ‘shoulder barge’ incident in their 2018 World Championship clash
The pair exchanged words, with O’Sullivan describing Carter as ‘Mr Angry’
Speaking earlier this year, O’Sullivan admitted regret over the outburst with the star saying: ‘It’s nothing personal, just heat of the moment stuff. He’s entitled to say what he’s got to say, like I am.
‘Do I regret saying it? Probably. I wish I’d kept my mouth shut and been a bit more polished with my answers, a bit more diplomatic. But I’ve said what I’ve said and that’s fine.
‘It’s only words innit? He goes back to his life, his family and I do. We only have to meet on the table, it’s not like we’re best mates but it’s fine, we’re both pretty grown up.’
In 2013, O’Sullivan started a debate about ‘burnout’ within the sport when he claimed he was ‘tired and jaded’ despite taking a year out from snooker.
After Carter lost 13-8 to O’Sullivan in the second round, he took aim at his opponent’s excuses after claiming luck was on his side.
The bad blood also boiled over at ‘barge-gate’ at the 2018 World Championship in Sheffield. O’Sullivan barged Carter in the ribs and snapped: ‘That’s for being Mr Angry’.
