RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has vowed to play more tournaments next season – but he is not worried about any possible ranking slump.
The Rocket, 50, appeared in just 10 of the 22 events in the 2025-26 campaign as he divided his time between the UK and his bases in Dubai and Ireland.
Ronnie O’Sullivan could go out of the top 16 but it would bring its own issues Credit: Alamy
The snooker ace revealed that he will play more tournaments next year Credit: Alamy
The has slipped down to 14th on the world list due to his inactivity over the past six months.
If he goes outside of the top 16, then it brings significant complications and headaches – most notably the fact he would have to qualify to play at the next World Championship.
Yet as he approaches his sixth decade, 34 years since he turned pro, O’Sullivan is confident in his own ability that it will not get that bad.
Speaking to SunSport in Reading after his appearance at the Global Snooker 900 Championship, O’Sullivan said: “I’m going to hopefully play more tournaments next year.
“So maybe play like four events in the UK, including the World Championship.
“Plus all the China and Germany events. Just focus on playing more tournaments next year.
“I was struggling for so long and I just didn’t want to play. But I feel like I’m cueing alright now.
“I feel like I’m at a stage where I’m not like I was. I’m still making mistakes.
The Rocket avoided a shock loss to Billy Joe Castle on Friday night Credit: Alamy
“I feel like I’ve got a good foundation and nearer to finding something that’s good enough to win a tournament.
“I think I’ll be alright with the world ranking. If I play alright, if I play to my standard and play enough tournaments, I should be alright.
“It’s not easy now. Obviously there’s a lot of really good players. You’ve got to really be on it.
“Rankings never lie. I am where I am. I just need to play better and win some more matches.
“I played alright in Sheffield during the Worlds. I cued well.
“Probably if I’d had a bit more matches through the season, like the last couple of years, I might have potted more crunch balls under pressure.”
O’Sullivan, the newly-crowned , avoided a shock loss to amateur Billy Joe Castle on Friday night as he progressed from the quarter-finals of the Global Snooker 900 with a 5-4 win.
This is a sped-up version of the sport where frames cannot last longer than 15 minutes, there is a 20-shot clock and it is ball in hand for fouls.
It is the antithesis to the 100-minute frame witnessed at the Crucible for the semi-final slugfest between eventual world champion Wu Yize and Mark Allen.
O’Sullivan scoffed: “A 100-minute frame? Oh, yeah, that’s awful. I wouldn’t get involved in that.
“I’d have opened them up and said, you can have that one, just get on with the next one. That’s not going to work for me. Definitely not.
“The Snooker 900 keeps the tempo going. It makes you think on your feet. I really like it.
“I used to love the shot clock in the Premier League. We used to play every Thursday, six frames, the same thing, maybe 30 seconds. It was two hours, bang, done.”
The Pluto TV Snooker 900 Global Championship semi-finals and finals are streaming for free this weekend – simply download the Pluto TV app to watch on your Smart TV.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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