Ronnie said this shortly after advancing to the final 16 of the UK Championship with a 6-2 victory over Matthew Stevens.
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World No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed that despite being the reigning world champion and winning the Hong Kong Masters and Champion of Champions, he is “not enjoying” snooker this season and acknowledged that he was experiencing ‘Impostor syndrome’. He added that he is “a lot happier” when he is “not doing so well”. He said this shortly after advancing to the final 16 of the UK Championship with a 6-2 victory over Matthew Stevens.
The 46-year-old appeared to be in fine shape at York Barbican and notched two century breaks to go closer to winning his eighth championship. O’Sullivan won his seventh global championship in May and followed it up by winning the Hong Kong Masters 2022 in front of 9,000 spectators the following month. With this, he equaled the record of Stephen Hendry who has even claimed the title on seven occasions.
“I feel flat, I’ll be honest with you,” he told BBC Two. “I don’t really want to play snooker at the moment, I don’t play much snooker. I just listen to my body, listen to my mind and just go out there and treat it like a practice,” Ronnie told BBC Two. He then said, “One thing I am doing is applying myself mentally. Whether I play good or bad, I don’t really care and I will always apply myself well while I am out there, but I don’t feel buzzed up at the moment. I suppose that is normal. I am just here enjoying York. I am going to be here for the duration, no matter what. I just like it here, you know.”
“I shouldn’t even be playing at my age really, by rights. Look at Hendry, Davis and those guys, so I don’t take it too seriously and just find it quite funny I am still here. I feel like I have a bit of impostor syndrome.” “I felt happier when I lost them five finals because it felt right but when I’ve started to win a few tournaments, I don’t really feel like I deserve it or that I have played well enough. It feels like there has been a plot maybe to allow me to do it, so you feel like a bit of a fake,” he further added.
Impostor Syndrome is a phenomenon that arises in high achievers who are unable to internalize and accept their achievements. It is a psychological condition in which a person questions their abilities, talents, or accomplishments. As a result, they frequently credit their accomplishments to luck or outside factors rather than talent and they fear that others will eventually expose them as fraud. Irrespective of external evidence of their ability, persons who experience it do not believe that they deserve their success or luck.
