Ronnie O'Sullivan has endured a trophyless snooker year for first time since 2015, but what happens next after shock early UK exit?
By Desmond Kane
Published 03/12/2025 at 15:07 GMT
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Ronnie O'Sullivan appeared in only three events in the UK in 2025, a year that saw him fail to win any tournament for the first time since 2015. A disappointing 6-4 defeat to Zhou Yuelong in the first round of the UK Championship in York leaves the snooker GOAT with plenty to ponder as he tries to work out his 2026 schedule with the World Championship in April likely to be his main focus.
'What is going on?' - 'Remarkable' scenes as O'Sullivan, Zhou buckle under pressure of tense clash
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ronnie O'Sullivan will end 2025 in the unusual position of failing to win a major snooker tournament in a calendar year for the first time in a decade.
A 6-4 defeat to Zhou Yuelong in the first round of the UK Championship in York on Tuesday will give the Dubai-based seven-time world champion plenty of time to decide on his next move as he celebrates his 50th birthday on Friday.
O'Sullivan has not entered the Shoot Out in Blackpool or the Scottish Open in Edinburgh later this month, meaning he has only appeared in three events in the UK over the past 12 months.
A 17-7 defeat to Zhao Xintong in the semi-finals of the World Championship Sheffield in May came after a three-month absence from the game was prompted by the 41-time ranking event winner smashing his cue at the Championship League in Leicester in January.
Speaking to TNT Sports after losing to Zhao for the first time in eight meetings, O'Sullivan refused to confirm if he would be chasing a record-extending ninth Masters title next month.
"I don't know," he said. "I'll try and play as much as I can.
"I've got some tournaments to play, Hong Kong, China, maybe Masters, maybe Germany."
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O'Sullivan: 'I didn't play well enough' in first-round exit, 'not going to comment' on Masters
Video credit: TNT Sports
O'Sullivan has already missed the English Open, British Open, Northern Ireland Open and Champion of Champions this season with his attention turning to tournaments outside the UK.
The highlight of his year was his run to the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters in Jeddah in September.
He became the first player to produce two 147s in the same session in a 6-3 semi-final win over Chris Wakelin before being edged 10-9 by Neil Robertson in an epic final.
"So I think if you were to take Saudi [Arabia] away, and possibly the stuff that I do in China, I probably wouldn’t play," he told reporters during last week's Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
"I’m in a situation where it’s working for me because obviously at my age, I’m not so driven to win tournaments.
"I’d like to do well in tournaments, but it’s not the be-all-and-end-all.
"So you kind of have to go, well, is this working for me as a whole, rather than just about winning tournaments? And so far it is.
"But like I said, and I say to everybody, if China and Saudi decided to end our partnerships tomorrow, then I’d definitely end my playing [days] as a professional."
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Watch: Huge ovation as O'Sullivan returns to UK for first time in seven months
Video credit: TNT Sports
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It will be two years next month since O'Sullivan won the last of his 41 ranking event titles, when he defeated Judd Trump 10-7 in the final of the 2024 World Grand Prix in Leicester.
He also lost 10-7 to Trump in the 2015 World Grand Prix in Llandudno, the last year he went without claiming a major tournament victory.
It remains to be seen if he will play at the Masters or the Players Championship in Telford in February, but in theory, has the chance to appear three times in the UK before the World Championship in Sheffield in April.
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O'Sullivan begins semi-final with incredible 147 at Saudi Arabia Masters
Video credit: TNT Sports
Former Masters champion Alan McManus feels it would benefit O'Sullivan's game if he played more competitive matches.
"There you go, 'I might play in the Masters' - play in it," said the Scot.
"Last year, John Higgins comes out of the draw. He withdrew two or three days before, a strange decision for me.
"He's the best that's ever walked the planet at this game so play in it, do it.
That's what I want to see."
O'Sullivan's possible schedule in 2026
- The Masters, London, January 11-18
- German Masters, Berlin, January 26-1 February
- World Grand Prix, Hong Kong, February 3-8
- Players Championship, Telford, February 17-22
- World Open, Yushan, March 16-22
- Tour Championship, Manchester, March 30-5 April
- World Championship, Sheffield, April 18-4 May
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Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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