Ronnie O'Sullivan's relationship with has often been complicated. As a seven-time world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the finest players to ever take to the baize. The Rocket was impressive over the course of the 2025 off the back of a break from the game at the start of this year, reaching the semi-finals .

O'Sullivan's tumultuous start to 2025 saw him pull out of , while also withdrawing from an exhibition match with John Higgins in Helsinki. During a defeat against Robert Milkins in the Championship League back in January, before throwing it into a bin. When his recent temper and frustration is considered, many snooker fans may remember his interview in 2016, when he said he wished his father Ronnie Sr had never introduced him to snooker.

In an interview with , O'Sullivan said: "I never really chose to play snooker, my dad did that for me, and I wish he hadn't. When I was a kid, I just wanted to have a laugh, potting the odd ball, but I'd probably have been happier playing golf or football, or driving cars for a living - something outside, with an adrenalin buzz.

"Dad was ambitious on my behalf. He sat me down when I was 10 and told me that if I wanted to play the sport I should try to be the best in the world, and if I wanted to do that, I needed to stop mucking around. He used to compare the snooker hall in Chigwell to a creche.

"It was somewhere he knew I'd be safe and stay put, rather than out on the streets causing trouble. He had spies there, too - older members would report back to him if I'd got the hump that day and snapped a cue, or wasted my pocket money on the fruit machines."

O'Sullivan exploded onto the scene as a teenage prodigy when he won the UK Open at the age of 17 years old, all the way back in 1993. He has gone on to win 23 Triple Crown events over the course of his career, where he has spent a lot of time as the World No.1.

Talking about his breakthrough as a teenager, he added: "By the time I was a teenager I was pretty well drilled, winning tournaments all over the place. Apart from the past five years, that time between 11 and 15 was probably the best, most consistent snooker I've played. Everything went a bit wrong in the following two decades. If that 15 or 16-year-old could see what I'm like now, he'd probably think I'd done OK."

Many have referred to O'Sullivan as the greatest player to ever pick up a cue. He is currently locked on seven world championship titles with Stephen Hendry, who is also widely regarded as the finest snooker star of all time.

Yet, O'Sullivan insisted he is not bothered by the prospect of breaking any records. He added: "Throughout my life, I've never been bothered by the records or titles. I always want to be the best I can, but I basically play snooker in the same way I did as a kid - just trying to pull off good shots.

"It's why I've dropped in and out of the game - trophies are fun for about five seconds. I prefer the art of it; some days it's good, other days it's not. I think teenage Ronnie would have some grudging respect for some of the breaks on my YouTube highlight reel, though it's probably nothing he couldn't have done."