Ronnie O'Sullivan swerves new cue criticism after World Snooker Championship opener against Ali Carter: I've been wayward for four years

Despite some signs of rustiness, Ronnie O'Sullivan enjoyed an altogether positive return to the baize as he took a 5-4 lead over Ali Carter ahead of their decisive session at the World Championship. Speaking to TNT Sports afterwards, O'Sullivan - who had not played in a ranking event since November - took on the responsibility of some wayward long potting, rather than blaming it on his new cue.

Ronnie O'Sullivan said his new cue was not to blame for wayward ball-striking during his return to snooker at the World Championship on Tuesday.

O'Sullivan, returning to the sport for the first time since he snapped his previous cue at the Championship League in January, made his first ranking event appearance since his UK Championship first-round defeat in November, as he took on rival Ali Carter at The Crucible.

At one point, The Rocket was firmly in control of the match with a 5-2 advantage, but Carter roared back after the interval to set up a finely-poised Wednesday meeting, chalking the scoreline back to 5-4.

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It was an opening-round encounter which saw several spurned opportunities between the experienced pair, as O'Sullivan notably struggled with his long game.

Speaking to TNT Sports in his dressing room after the match, the seven-time world champion said his performance was a "bit better" than he thought it would be, and put the wayward striking down to his own errors, rather than blaming the apparatus.

"That's just me," he said. "I've had four years of it to be honest, hitting the ball all over the place. I have to try and stay in the moment, and play my way through it."

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Asked about his mindset ahead of the match, O'Sullivan replied: "I wouldn't say [I was] nervous, but I hadn't played for a while.

"The reason why I did stop was because it was so bad, even in practice, it got to me a bit. I didn't expect much today, but I thought, if I get a few frames off Ali, make it competitive, I'll be happy with that."

'He's not played any good yet'

In the TNT Sports studio, snooker veteran Jimmy White felt O'Sullivan looked "out of sorts" on his return to the sport.

The Rocket's highlight came in the fourth frame as he went 3-1 up with a century break, but White ultimately felt O'Sullivan would not be happy with his performance levels in the afternoon session.

"It's always a buzz when Ronnie O'Sullivan plays in any tournament," White said. "I'm pleased he played in the World Championship.

"He looked a little bit out of sorts today, he made a nice century to go 3-1 up. With how he's been talking, I think he'll be pleased he's in front, but he's not played any good yet.

'A lot of mistakes out there' - O'Sullivan 'out of sorts' but will be 'delighted' with scoreline

Video credit: TNT Sports

White added: "He seems to be happy with the cue. There were a lot of mistakes. Maybe the way Ronnie played put Ali off; Ali lost a bit of composure.

"Ronnie won't be happy with the way he's played there. He missed a lot of long pots by a lot of distance, but there was a nice century so it might get better.

"He will be delighted with the scoreline, but not with his performance."

The match saw O'Sullivan and Carter renew pleasantries after their historical rivalry, which was brought to life by their "barge-gate" incident at The Crucible in 2018.

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As the pair took to their seats on Tuesday, they shook hands, and TNT Sports snooker expert Alan McManus felt that was "important" ahead of their highly-anticipated clash.

"That was important, and we expected that," McManus said. "We get to spend a lot of time with Ronnie and you just want him to get a good feeling before they get down to business.

"But I think we got a lot of what we expected. There were a lot of mistakes out there. Ali has been in decent form, Ronnie, the unknown thing again. We got a bit of everything."

O'Sullivan and Carter will play out the deciding session of their first-round clash on Wednesday afternoon, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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