O’Sullivan recently set a plan out for his retirement too
JOSHUA HALL, Sports Reporter
Published: 18:51, 23 Jul 2025 | Updated: 9:25, 24 Jul 2025
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has got his eyes on conquering another sport after already becoming one of the greatest snooker players of all time.
The Rocket, 49, is widely thought of as the best player to ever grace the baize and he reckons he can reach the top in another sport too.
Despite not retiring from snooker just yet, O’Sullivan has his sights on becoming pool world champion when he does finally call it quits.
The seven-time world snooker champion has said he will give Chinese eight-ball pool a crack when the day comes, but has vowed to give snooker at least another two years to rediscover his form.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post at the opening of a new snooker club in Hong Kong, JJ8 Club, O’Sullivan confirmed his ambitious post-snooker strategy.
“Chinese eight-ball is very, very popular now in China,” O’Sullivan said.
“Many players play in big tournaments in China, and for someone like me, when I finish playing snooker, then I will play Chinese eight-ball.
“It’s a big sport in Asia, especially China, so when I retire from snooker, I want to become world champion in Chinese eight-ball.”
This surprising pivot to the high-stakes world of pool reflects O’Sullivan’s ceaseless competitive drive, suggesting he still has titles left to win, even if they’re on a different table.
O’Sullivan’s pool ambition, however, remains on the back burner for now. The snooker legend recently revealed he has put a two-year plan together to help him return to form and start enjoying snooker again after chatting with psychiatrist Dr. Steve Peters.
He feels he owes it to his career to commit fully for a final push, after feeling distracted in recent seasons.
“I said I wanted to at least do two proper years,” he explained.
“Put everything I was doing on the back burner. I don’t feel like I have that luxury anymore to do other things and try and compete.”
O’Sullivan is committed to finding a strong finish to his unparalleled snooker career, rather than letting it fizzle out.
“I think I owe it to my career to focus just on playing for the next two years, at least, and just see if I can rediscover some decent form,” he added.
“Try and finish my career on a good note and not how it’s felt for the last three or four years. That’s my main goal.”
Despite describing his play as “awful” and “a struggle” in recent times, the Rocket’s immense talent still shines through. He remarkably still sits fifth in the world rankings and even secured a spot in the World Championship semi-finals despite missing a slew of tournaments and famously disposing of his cue in the buildup.
Now, O’Sullivan is gearing up for his next challenge at the Shanghai Masters next week, where he will face the winner of the clash between Barry Hawkins or Wu Yize in his opening match next Wednesday.
But even as he competes in snooker, the world will now be watching with one eye on his future, waiting to see if The Rocket can truly conquer the Chinese eight-ball world once his time on the green baize is officially over.