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Ronnie O’Sullivan says ‘drink and wacky backy’ in youth has made him worse player
Ronnie O'Sullivan says 'drink and wacky backy' in youth has made him worse player,Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan believes that ‘drink and ‘wacky backy’ made him a worse player than he was as a teenager and stopped him dominating the sport further

Ronnie O’Sullivan says ‘drink and wacky backy’ in youth has made him worse player

Ronnie O’Sullivan has blamed ‘drink and wacky backy’ for making him a worse snooker player, despite enjoying years of dominance in the sport.

The Rocket won his seventh World Championship title last year but believes he should have more trophies to his name, claiming he’s not as good as he was as a teenager.

O’Sullivan showed his talent as a 14-year-old when he appeared on ITV show Cockney Classic, with the now 47-year-old emotionally reminiscing about his early days.

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The snooker icon turned professional at the age of 16, winning his first professional ranking event at the age of 17 years and 358 days when he lifted the UK Championship in 1993. Later becoming the youngest player to win the Masters at the age of 19 years and 69 days in 1995.

Ronnie O'Sullivan aged 14 on ITV show Cockney Classic
Ronnie O'Sullivan aged 14 on ITV show Cockney Classic

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, O’Sullivan reflected on his career and revealed that he believes he never reached the level he was at as a teenager, rueing his private lifestyle in his early career.

O’Sullivan said: "After 16 I lost my way. I started copying other people’s style when my own was perfect and because of that I lost my cue action and fluency, and it was all through trying to become a better player.

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O'Sullivan is looking to defend his 2022 World Championship title
O'Sullivan is looking to defend his 2022 World Championship title (Image: VCG via Getty Images)

"I started to self-coach, and I lost my way. I should have stuck with what I had as that kid and everything would have been different — my love for the game, the amount I won, and I wouldn’t have chased the emotions I got from snooker in other ways. Finding solace in drink, wacky backy, food — I was just trying to change the way I felt.

"I went from fantastic to really bad. I got a lot back, so I’m now at an OK place with my game. But I’m still nowhere near the player when I was that kid."

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