Ronnie O'Sullivan 'might have left it a little bit too late' in pursuit of record eighth world title this year

O’Sullivan was talking to the World Snooker Tour at the Tempodrom in Berlin shortly after his 5-1 opening round victory over Long Zehuang during Tuesday afternoon’s session at the 2026 German Masters.

His first competitive outing in eight weeks since losing in round one of the UK Championship at the start of December, O’Sullivan was rusty, but in the end comfortably dispatched world number 54 Long Zehaung - a former ranking event finalist - who struggled during the contest.

The record 23-time Triple Crown event winner did not play a great deal of snooker - compared to his fellow top 16 peers - in 2025, and ended the year trophyless, the first time that had happened to him since 2015.

It has been over two years since O’Sullivan last won a ranking event - at the World Grand Prix in January 2024 - and having recently turned 50 years of age, many wonder how much more he will add to his bulging career CV.

Ups and downs, though, have been somewhat of a constant throughout O’Sullivan’s three-decade-plus top-flight career. When he won the German Masters title here in 2012, it came after a near two-and-a-half year wait for a ranking trophy.

Eighth world crown “would be one last ambition left in snooker” for O’Sullivan

In his post-match interview with the WST, O’Sullivan said he has been working hard away from the circuit, but the playing conditions at the Tempodrom caught him out, and that may be a consequence of not featuring in a lot of matches in recent months.

“I’ve been feeling a lot better in practice” said ‘The Rocket’. “I felt the tables were unbelievably fast. I just couldn’t control the ball. I haven’t played on tournament tables that much. So you have to hit them differently, you have to strike them more pure, more confidently.

“I haven’t really had enough practice in those type of conditions. So that was tough. The pockets felt a little bit tight for me, the practise table I have been playing on is a bit more generous than that, plus obviously not playing a lot of matches as well. So it’s not easy when you’ve not got that sort of match sharpness.”

Asked about his plans for the remainder of the season and building up to the World Championship - and his desire to claim an unprecedented eighth world crown in the modern era - O’Sullivan feels his lack of competitive action could cost him, but he’s not ruling out glory in Sheffield this year either.

“I think I may have left it a little bit late. Obviously I’ve got this tournament, I’ve got Hong Kong (next week’s World Grand Prix) and then maybe Yushan (World Open) and then that’s probably it for me until Sheffield.

“I've probably left it a bit late. I’m not saying I can’t do it this year, I’d have to do alright in some of these tournaments beforehand. Maybe get to the quarters of the Worlds, you never know. It’s a different animal, that tournament, once you get to that stage, anybody can win it really.

“So, yeah, I think that would be one last ambition left in snooker – to get the eighth World. It would be 8-8-8 (Triple Crown titles). That would be nice."

O’Sullivan has won world titles in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022. Last year, despite having not played professionally for over three months, he reached the semi-finals before losing with a session to spare to eventual champion Zhao Xintong.

Next up for O’Sullivan in Berlin is a last 32 meeting with Ali Carter on Wednesday night.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 German Masters, visit here.