Ronnie's final crucible appearance?

After delivering the most effervescent and brilliant snooker that we have witnessed in years from him, we are (yet again) left pondering the prospect of this great game without the most naturally gifted player to have ever graced the baize. Such is the enigmatic and capricious nature of Ronnie O’Sullivan, this latest of a series of retirement hints coincides tantalisingly with his best World Championship form since his 2008 victory.

Nothing is ever straightforward with the Rocket. Whenever he takes to the table there is always something inside me that is willing him to win, or at least to provide the kind of entertainment that to me, without question, can be considered one of most thrilling sights in sport. At his buccaneering best, an O’Sullivan century has been known to captivate even the most stoic supporters of the "if it doesn’t involve physical exertion, it is not a proper sport” brigade.

But for all his talent, O’Sullivan is an infuriating character. The class which he shows in abundance on the table does not necessarily always translate to the press room. Often contradictory and insecure, O’Sullivan gives the impression of a tortured soul who frequently – whether intentionally or not – manages to show a lack of respect towards a game that has treated him rather kindly over the years. His comments in the wake of his semi-final victory over Matthew Stevens were a stark reminder of this. Not only is it odd to announce on the eve of the final that this appearance at the Crucible may be his last (why not do a Hendry?), but with all the inevitable clichés that splurge out like verbal diarrhoea in situations such as these (...how fitting an end it would be and what better way to bow out...etc), it is actually quite disrespectful to his opponent in the final, Ali Carter.

With these continual threats of prolonged breaks, sabbaticals and indeed, retirement over the last few years, it has been easy to become blasé about them; brushing them off as yet more hollow Ronnie talk. But perhaps Ronnie truly is out of love with the game and he has been waiting for that sacred moment when a majestic streak of form coincides with the game’s biggest stage - to use the cliché: the perfect way to end one’s career. The rare focus and determination that Ronnie has shown over the last seventeen days suggests that he has been in a solid place mentally; something that we have not been accustomed to seeing throughout his career but particularly in recent times. Whatever his mental state, his form has been exemplary and he has genuinely looked like he has enjoyed every moment of the championship.   

Whether Ronnie sticks true to his word and retires from snooker after the final remains to be seen. Like him or loathe him – or if you, like me, are somewhere in between – it is hard to resist the charm of watching O’Sullivan at the peak of his powers. Snooker will, without doubt, be left with a mercurial entertainer-shaped hole that, at a time when the place of such a slow game in a furiously fast-paced modern world is being called into question, may be too large for the rising stars of Judd Trump, Cao Yupeng and Luca Brecel to fill. My advice would be to watch and appreciate every single lusty delivery of his cue and every expert manoeuvre of the white as if it was his last tonight; but just don’t hold your breath.