Ronnie O'Sullivan's commitment was on full display as he practised throughout the evening following his World Snooker Championship victory over He Guoqiang. The Rocket's dedication was clearly visible in the background of the BBC's coverage, and presenter Seema Jaswal acknowledged it.
Dominant Victory
The seven-time world champion proved he was comfortably superior to China's He, beating him 10-2 on Wednesday to secure an enticing last-16 encounter with fellow Class of '92 member John Higgins. However, even after the victory, the 50-year-old was creating a stir, as he headed to the practice tables at the Crucible directly in view of the BBC cameras.
Practice Session Caught on Camera
O'Sullivan was prominently visible throughout the evening coverage, with his match concluded earlier in the day. He spent hours practising, and presenter Jaswal felt compelled to address the obvious presence behind her. Following a discussion with 1991 world champion John Parrott, Jaswal spoke about O'Sullivan's forthcoming match and observed: "It's quite strange that we're talking about him and he's right there, but we have been talking to him about it."
Fans also took notice, with a supporter page writing on X: "Nearly 10:30pm and the Rocket still grinding away on the practice table." A second commented: "Means business."
O'Sullivan on Practice
This display of commitment is made even more impressive given O'Sullivan has acknowledged he doesn't always enjoy practising. He told TNT Sports this week: "I don't play as much because I tend to get a little bit bored with just practising now. So I do it in stages, I put a little stint in and then I take some time out because I still want to enjoy the game rather than feel like I'm just doing it for the sake of doing it. It's a different kind of preparation but I still hope to hit form at some point during the year and maybe have one or two good results, but I'm not as relentless as I used to be."
Psychological Warfare
Before his encounter with Higgins, O'Sullivan has seemingly attempted to engage in some psychological warfare, suggesting he is the underdog for the fixture. He told the BBC: "John loves playing me, he really enjoys it. I think he plays better against me than I do against him. I'll probably be a bit of an underdog because I've hardly played for the last three years, compared to John. He's at every tournament and beating a lot of good players. Rusty Ron comes here and rolls the dice and some of the time they're sixes, but most of the time they're ones, the last three years. Hopefully I can throw a couple of fives or sixes against John. He's probably favourite but it's a different type of pressure. The pressure is off me and probably more on John in this match. But it should be a good game, hopefully I can give him a decent game."
