'I wish I hadn't won it': Ronnie O'Sullivan brands the publicity following his seventh World Snooker Championship title 'his worst nightmare'

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Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan has revealed he wished he didn't win the World Snooker Championship this year due to the intense pressure that comes from his success.  

'Rocket' Ronnie beat Judd Trump in the tournament's final at the famous Crucible back in May to lift a seventh world championship crown - to equal Stephen Hendry's record. 

Though the 46-year-old is known for his brash approach to media interviews and his antics during matches, he is not somebody who likes to be in the spotlight. 

At this year's championships alone, he was investigated for making an obscene gesture in the final, and accusing referee Olivier Marteel of 'looking for trouble'.

His brilliance shone through as he beat Trump 18-13 to become the oldest winner of the game's flagship event. 

However, O'Sullivan has told The Climb Podcast that the attention that comes from his success, is like a 'nightmare' that has come to reality. 

In a startling admission, he said: 'After looking back on it, I actually wish I hadn't have won it.'

Ronnie O'Sullivan lifted his seventh snooker World Championship earlier this year

But O'Sullivan admitted that he wished he hadn't beaten Judd Trump in the championship final

'The question I get asked more now than anything is, 'do you still play snooker?' I want to say to them, no. 

'I want to say I've retired, I do little bits and pieces, it's great and I slip under the radar.

O'Sullivan also revealed that he preferred playing without fans in attendance

'All of a sudden when I've won this, I've got 600 messages on my phone, everyone's saying well done and asking when I'm going for the eighth. 

'It's like my worst nightmare come true again.'

Numerous times throughout his career, O'Sullivan, who first won a world championship back in 2001, has claimed he would pack the sport in.

Despite this, he has always found the motivation to come firing back and has become one of the most successful players in the history of the game.

Englishman O'Sullivan has always tried to live a quiet life under the radar, and admits that he preferred winning the title when fans weren't allowed in due to Covid.

He admitted that partying after this year's victory was not something he was in favour of and would have instead preferred to have a 'cup of tea and go to bed'.

'Going to the after party is what annoyed me. I’m just like, I don’t need this, I just want a cup of tea and go to my bed,’ he said.

‘That’s why I enjoyed it when I won it in Covid in 2020, there was no crowd, no party, just whoever happened to be there with me. 

'I just can’t be doing with the circus, the circus is what drives me crazy. The World Championships is the biggest circus of all.’

During his victory over David Gilbert at the Cruciblle, he was caught making an x-rated gesture after missing a black off its spot- not for the first time in his career.

In 2008 he was fined £2,750 and docked 700 ranking points for making obscene gestures and comments at the China Open.

Five years later O'Sullivan made a rude gesture with his hand during a semi-final clash against Judd Trump at the Crucible. That resulted in him being criticised by referee Michaela Tabb. 

After being accused of making a gesture in the final this year, O'Sullivan replied: 'Tell me, tell me, what did you see? You tell me what you saw. You saw nothing. Go look at the camera. You saw nothing. Don't start.' 

O'Sullivan has previously admitted that he has a complaint about the snooker 'lifestyle' 

His victory over Trump put him joint on seven championships with Stephen Hendry

In an interview with the Metro in 2021, O'Sullivan said he had one complaint about snooker, and that is the lifestyle that goes with it.

He said: ‘If I was a golfer, I’d love golf because the lifestyle is great. Beautiful courses, nice hotel, offered great food. It’s like Formula One, tennis…the sport becomes the least important part of the job.

‘I could quite happily not play snooker forever, I might miss it a bit but I’ve got a lot of things I can fill my time with. With snooker I just don’t enjoy the lifestyle of a snooker player.'

O'Sullivan though was left sobbing in the arms of Trump after they shared a long hug after their final this year.

He told Eurosport that he had been 'blown away' by kind words from Trump and was 'emotional' to get over the line.