World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan easily reached the last 16 of the UK Championship with a 6-2 victory over Matthew Stephens, but later admitted he was feeling “impostor syndrome” and didn’t want to play pool now.
The 46-year-old looked in fine form at the York Barbican and bowled two centuries to take a step towards an eighth title.
While O’Sullivan claimed a seventh world title in May and backed it up with victory at the Hong Kong Masters in front of 9,000 fans last month, he revealed his fortitude after his routine first-round success on Monday.
“I’m bored, I’ll be honest with you,” he told BBC Two. “I don’t really want to play snooker right now, I don’t play snooker much. I just listen to my body, listen to my mind and get out there and take it as practice.
“One thing I do is apply myself mentally. If I play good or bad I really don’t care and I will always give myself well while I’m out there, but I’m not feeling excited at the moment. I suppose that’s normal.
“I’m here enjoying York – it’s such a beautiful place. I’ll be here for the duration, no matter what. I like it here, you know.”
The world number one dismissed suggestions in the summer that he was the greatest in the history of the sport after Crucible’s victory.
And he again raised questions about how long he would continue to play snooker after this victory over the Welshman Stevens, who, after taking the fifth frame to reduce the deficit to 3-2, had no answer for Rocket.
O’Sullivan added: “I shouldn’t be playing my age by rights. Look at (Stephen) Hendry and (Steve) Davis and those guys, so I don’t take it seriously and I think it’s really funny that I’m still here. I feel like I’m struggling a bit.” of imposter syndrome.
“I was happiest when I lost five finals to them because it felt so good, but when I started winning some tournaments I didn’t really feel like I deserved it or that I played well enough.
“It seems like there might have been a plot to let me do this, so it seems a bit fake.
“I feel a little bit bad about it, which is why when I won the worlds I would say it wasn’t a big deal for me, because it put me back in the place of questioning myself and the match.
“I don’t get carried away like I used to. I’m here to do a job.”
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