Ronnie O’Sullivan explains himself after what he did in background of BBC show | Other | Sport

Ronnie O’Sullivan has spoken about his renewed enthusiasm for snooker after being caught practising intensely on live television. Following another campaign of intermittent appearances, the Rocket has delivered impressive performances at the World Championship thus far. After seeing off He Guoqiang in the opening round, the seven-time champion raced into a 6-2 lead in the first session of his blockbuster second-round encounter against fellow legend John Higgins.

O’Sullivan has frequently wavered in his commitment to snooker throughout his career. However, his connection with the sport appears robust at present. Following his win over He, the Essex cueman was seen on the practice table, which is located behind the BBC presentation area at the Crucible, at 10.30pm.

Presenter Seema Jaswal remarked: “It’s quite strange that we’re talking about him and he’s right there, but we have been talking to him about it.”

Meanwhile, supporters were encouraged by the sight of the Rocket refining his technique.Following the He match, O’Sullivan delivered a revealing interview, detailing how he uncovered a missing element in his game at the Yushan Open in March, where he compiled a world record 153 break and reached the final.

He said: “I was getting nowhere. At one point, I was practising for six or seven hours a day. Then I rested for two days. I was in Yushan and lying in bed, thinking about technique and decided to try something.

“I went back to the practice room and it worked. My timing was coming back. If that’s good, then the rest of it might come. In that tournament, I had some better performances. Now I’m excited about playing and that’s a victory for me.”

When asked if he felt rejuvenated, he responded: “Oh yeah, I certainly feel like I want to play now, whereas before I was just scared of playing. I’d just had enough of hitting poor shot after poor shot.

“Now, I get excited about playing because I think I’m going to hit some nice shots, and that all I want to do. My game’s still not anywhere near where it needs to be but that’s not important at this stage of my career. I’ve just got to take enjoying the game.”

The Rocket carried that confidence into the opening session of his 73rd encounter with old adversary Higgins, looking considerably more assured as he compiled breaks of 86, 82, 137, 95 and 76.

The best-of-25 clash resumes at 7pm on Sunday and is expected to conclude on Monday afternoon. Fellow ‘Class of 92’ member Mark Williams has already been eliminated from the tournament, having fallen 13-9 to Barry Hawkins.