Why Ronnie O'Sullivan now says 'I feel like it's a wand in my hand' after struggles as his form takes significant positive shift

Ronnie O'Sullivan has said "he is hitting the ball so well" this season, having been critical of his form during recent campaigns. The seven-time world champion said he had been "playing s*** for two years" but that his cue now "feels like a wand". The 49-year-old took a three-month break last season after snapping his cue in frustration, but has looked closer to his formidable best this term.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan has said he is "hitting the ball so well" at the moment after "playing s*** for two years", describing his cue as a "wand".

The seven-time world champion has expressed frustration with his form in recent seasons and took a three-month break from the game after smashing his cue in January.

He returned for the World Championship in April and reached the semi-finals but was ultimately thrashed 17-7 by Zhao Xingtong with a session to spare.

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However, playing with a new cue and feeling the benefits of moving to Dubai, O’Sullivan’s form has been promising in the tournaments he has opted to play in this season.

O’Sullivan told The Times: "If I’m not dancing around that table, f*** it, it’s not worth it.

"But now, I’m hitting the ball so well, it feels so good. I feel like it’s a wand in my hand and I can just do what I like. I’m, like, f***, this is great."

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He added: "That’s where the magic is, that’s where I get the buzz. If you know that you can get that buzz, oh mate, that’s it. It’s like a drug. That is the drug. That is the feeling.

"Go out there, spring in my step. I might get beat, but if it comes, beautiful. You can’t buy it."

O’Sullivan has played in just four tournaments this season but has reached the quarter-finals on two occasions and was beaten to the Saudi Arabia Masters title in a deciding frame by Neil Robertson.

In the semi-finals of the event in Jeddah, he became the first tournament player to score two maximum 147 breaks on the same day.

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And it is that kind of snooker that is satisfying the 23-time Triple Crown event winner, who has often spoken of his preference for losing while performing well rather than winning while playing badly.

He said: "If I’m playing rubbish, you lose your confidence. It’s about trying to enjoy your job as much as you possibly can."

O’Sullivan recently moved to Dubai and said that the lack of practice tables nearby contributed to his decision to move away from the United Kingdom.

"I had to do a lot of trips into London," O’Sullivan explained. "An hour and 20 minutes each way, it was a headache.

"So a lot of the time I was having to go to Sheffield for, like, a week to get some proper practice done.

"I just find it [London] all a bit too hectic. I couldn’t get anything done there."

O’Sullivan said his struggles with jet lag played a role in picking Dubai, given that he "works a lot in the Middle East and China".

He has a snooker academy in Riyadh, while all four of the tournaments he has played in this season have been in Asia.

The Middle East is set to play host to O’Sullivan’s next match, with the 49-year-old scheduled to play in the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship on Wednesday.

Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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