Ronnie O'Sullivan has said he will make a last-minute decision on whether to participate in the World Snooker Championship.
Seven-time world champion O'Sullivan has not played a tournament since withdrawing from the Championship League in January after losing four of his five matches.
The 49-year-old also later pulled out of the Masters at Alexandra Palace, citing fatigue after a tough series of exhibition matches abroad, and also withdrew from the German Masters in Berlin.
O'Sullivan did not play in either the Welsh Open or the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
Following his Welsh Open cancellation, O'Sullivan apologised to fans who were disappointed by the situation but stressed that he needed to continue to put his health and well-being first.
However, O'Sullivan has not yet ruled out a return to the Crucible ring and will give himself “as much time as possible” to make a decision before the big tournament, which starts in Sheffield on April 19.
“I'm not sure yet. I haven't made a final decision yet, but I'll probably do it on April 17 or 18,” O'Sullivan told TNT Sports.
“I don’t know when I’ll play my first match, so I’ll try to leave myself as much time as possible.
“I'd like to go there and play, I'd like to have the confidence to pick up a cue and go play snooker.
“I need to give myself as much time as possible to figure out where I am and if I can do it.”
O'Sullivan believes the last few years have been difficult for him.
“It was a real struggle,” he said. “I tried to play my style. I had moments when I thought, 'Everything is OK.'
“But overall, probably three and a half years out of the last four have been just terrible for me, and it has affected me.
“I was a little tired. It got to the point where I lost my love for the game.
“That's why in January I was angry, upset and broke my cue. I don't want to feel that way again, so I decided to take a break.
“I'm just going to try to resolve what I think is the problem before I go back and start playing seriously again.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
