O'Sullivan bluntly said that he struggled with anxiety: I have been controlling anxiety for two years
On May 2, 2024, O'Sullivan said that his own game problems caused him to take medication for anxiety, but after two years of "slump", he finally felt better.
The Rockets defeated Page and Ryan Day in the first two rounds to reach the quarterfinals of the World Championships.
He hopes to add another World Championship to his other five major tournaments this season to end an already stellar season.
Despite his huge success, the 48-year-old has been frustrated this season, but at Sheffield he looks and sounds more positive.
After beating Page in the first round, the Rocket said he would continue to play into his 50s and see how many more World Titles he could win, which sounds much more optimistic than in recent months.
The Rocket talked about working with a new coach ahead of this year's World Championships, and after two years of not being at his best and battling match anxiety to the point of having to take medication, his pace is definitely more energetic.
Speaking to the BBC after beating Ryan Day 13-7, the Rockets said: "I've been in the doldrums for a long time. I've been holding on for two years and I haven't really mentioned anything, but it's been really challenging. ”
"I had to take medication for anxiety and things like that, even in small competitions, even when I wasn't competing. That's why games sometimes make me feel bad. ”
"I don't want to do that again. I've just been a little bit excited in the last couple of weeks and a little bit better on the ball. I didn't feel it last night, it started to get a little messy. Can I fix it? Can I get it back on track? There's some good stuff out there today. ”
"I'm just more optimistic and more confident that I can keep going. You can't do that in one race or one event, you have to try to stick with it for months, even a year. I've played for three years and I've never had a bad day, so it can happen and you just have to get everything right. ”
O'Sullivan often tries to downplay the impact of the sport he plays on him, but he admits that it's nearly impossible to separate his emotions from the feeling of the game.
"When I find out that this game is tough, my life gets harder. It was also good for me when I found out that the game was easy, and life became a pleasant place again. ”
"I tried to decouple from it and found it wasn't easy, I tried not to let the sport control me, but it was hard. I've probably come to terms with the fact that this will never happen. ”
"I just try to minimise my bad performance in the game or what I think is a bad feeling. If I play well but lose, I'll be in a good position because I'm looking forward to the next fight. When I win and I don't look forward to the game, it's like, where do I go from here? This is not a good place. (Welcome to click to pay attention to Runwu AB, please indicate the source for reprinting, thank you)