‘I have to be realistic’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan makes blunt retirement vow and sets strict World Championship deadline

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has sensationally claimed he could quit professional snooker by 2028, leaving him just TWO more cracks at the Crucible record. The Rocket, who turned 50 last December, is starting to feel his age and as brilliant as he is with a cue, he is finding it hard to play the sport each week. Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 35th consecutive snooker season kicked off on Monday Credit: PA The Rocket faces Kyren Wilson on Tuesday Credit: Alamy His 35th consecutive snooker season kicked off on Monday with a 6-1 first-round win over Chinese wildcard Liu Linhao, 18, at the Shanghai Masters. The former world No.1 – who plays Kyren Wilson next on Tuesday – scored breaks of 73, 71, 75 and 55 against the local amateur, a “phenomenal cueist”. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! While there is a lot of money at stake, this is a non-ranking event and O’Sullivan is as low as 14 in the world. If he drops out of the top 16 come next April, then he would have to qualify for the World Championship, an almost unthinkable scenario. And O’Sullivan will NOT play qualifiers in small, intimate venues, especially given what he has achieved in the sport and the wonderful moments he has produced. As he engages more with the shorter Snooker 900 format, grey-haired O’Sullivan knows time is running out if he wants that unprecedented eighth world title in Sheffield. O’Sullivan said: “I’m glad I’m at the end of my career and I don’t have to face these young Chinese talents much. “Because they’re just like machines. They’re just phenomenal. Most read in Sport The Rocket is all too aware time is running out in his bid to win at the Crucible one more time Credit: Getty Ronnie and Stephen Hendry share the record for the most world titles, with seven each “I have to be realistic. I’m 50 now. I play for two hours and I need to lay down for two or three hours. “It’s very hard for me to get going again. This game, alright, you don’t have to run around on a pitch. “Mentally, you have to concentrate. It’s draining. “When you’re young, you can just keep going for an hour and not get tired. “Now, I need to have a lie down. You see your grandparents, sleeping in their chairs. You get a little bit tired. “I have to be realistic about what’s possible. Just have to accept it. Especially when you see talent like that, you can’t fight it. “I’d love to win another World Championship. I’ve got two attempts at it. For three years previous I wasn’t cueing well enough. “So I feel like if I can find a bit of cueing and some form in Sheffield, then who knows? List of all-time Snooker World Champions BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year. The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport. The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport. Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each. 1969 – John Spencer 1970 – Ray Reardon 1971 – John Spencer 1972 – Alex Higgins 1973 – Ray Reardon (2) 1974 – Ray Reardon (3) 1975 – Ray Reardon (4) 1976 – Ray Reardon (5) 1977 – John Spencer (2) 1978 – Ray Reardon (6) 1979 – Terry Griffiths 1980 – Cliff Thorburn 1981 – Steve Davis 1982 – Alex Higgins (2) 1983 – Steve Davis (2) 1984 – Steve Davis (3) 1985 – Dennis Taylor 1986 – Joe Johnson 1987 – Steve Davis (4) 1988 – Steve Davis (5) 1989 – Steve Davis (6) 1990 – Stephen Hendry 1991 – John Parrott 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2) 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3) 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4) 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5) 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6) 1997 – Ken Doherty 1998 – John Higgins 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7) 2000 – Mark Williams 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan 2002 – Peter Ebdon 2003 – Mark Williams (2) 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) 2005 – Shaun Murphy 2006 – Graeme Dott 2007 – John Higgins (2) 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) 2009 – John Higgins (3) 2010 – Neil Robertson 2011 – John Higgins (4) 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4) 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) 2014 – Mark Selby 2015 – Stuart Bingham 2016 – Mark Selby (2) 2017 – Mark Selby (3) 2018 – Mark Williams (3) 2019 – Judd Trump 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6) 2021 – Mark Selby (4) 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7) 2023 – Luca Brecel 2024 – Kyren Wilson 2025 – Zhao Xintong 2026 – Wu Yize Most World Titles (modern era) 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams 2 – Alex Higgins “If I don’t do it this year or the next year, then it’ll definitely never happen. “I’m pleased with my career. I’m happy with how things have gone. “I will try to enjoy these next two years. I’ll reassess it in 2028. If things are going really well and I surprise myself, then maybe you can extend it. “You have to be realistic. I am definitely not going to be playing qualifiers, put it that way. “You won’t see me go down to Barnsley, trying to win qualifier matches and all that sort of stuff. “I have to be realistic, if that happens, then obviously that’s the end of my career. Hopefully I can go for at least another two seasons.” Comment now