Ronnie O'Sullivan could revisit favourite joke in title bid before record World Snooker Championship chase - 'Need the ranking points'
By Desmond Kane
Updated 01/03/2026 at 05:08 GMT
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Ronnie O'Sullivan once joked that his main motivation for playing was to accumulate ranking points but remaining inside the top 16 is vital to the snooker GOAT's prospects of winning future trophies. O'Sullivan has picked up two of his seven world titles, the Masters, UK and two World Grand Prix victories this decade, but those successes were helped by his elite ranking.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan's ranking could determine whether he will continue to challenge for major titles in the sport.
The Rocket is set to make his return to action against Ross Muir at the World Open on March 16, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, with his ranking dropping outside the top 10 to 11th spot.
Remaining inside the top 16 is probably vital to the Dubai-based seven-time world champion's prospects of future success based on his trophy returns over the past decade.
O'Sullivan has claimed two of his seven world titles since 2020, along with record eighth Masters and UK triumphs, two World Grand Prix victories and the Shanghai Masters so far this decade.
But all of those events were boosted by a remarkable run of consistency that has seen the former world No. 1 drop out of the top 16 only once, famously after taking a year off between his 2012 and 2013 Crucible victories, since 1994.
The topic of ranking points has provided plenty of amusement in the past but it may soon become a real source of concern.
"My main motivation for playing is ranking points," joked the record 41-time ranking event winner after lifting the Tour Championship in 2019. "When I see a load of ranking points, I just go: 'I want them, give them to me please.'
"You need the ranking points, I checked out Amazon, and can't find no ranking points. I thought if Amazon don't give you any ranking points, what chance have I got?"
The Essex player last won an event when entering the first round, the round of 128, nine years ago when he walloped Kyren WIlson 9-2 in the 2017 English Open final after winning another six matches.
All his other success in the ensuing nine years has been delivered based on a top-16 ranking, which ensures he needs only to win five matches to claim the trophy.
Dropping out of the top 16 is detrimental in adding extra playing demands, forcing players to face at least two qualifiers for the World and UK Championship and the Saudi Arabia Masters.
And O'Sullivan, who last won a ranking title two years ago, is already feeling the effects of a lack of tournament play this season.
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He has competed in only six ranking events in dropping to 11th in the latest standings despite reaching the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters in August, where he lost 10-9 to Neil Robertson.
There have also been two quarter-final appearances in Shanghai and Xi'an.
O'Sullivan could yet limit his World Championship preparations, where he will chase an eighth triumph, to his appearance at the World Open in Yushan from March 16-22 as he continues to pick and choose his events.
Unlike fellow 'Class of '92' icons John Higgins and Mark Williams, who are both inside the world's top six having displayed a remarkable level of consistency at the age of 50, O'Sullivan has reverted to a part-time schedule.
He is provisionally ranked 13th for the Crucible, a seeding that could potentially see him face Robertson in the second round.
That looks likely unless he produces a decent run at the World Open or opts to enter the Tour Championship in Manchester (March 30-5 April), the final major event before Sheffield (April 18-4 May).
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Welsh Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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