By Mark Whiley,Will Schofield

Copyright walesonline

Ronnie O’Sullivan cannot see himself ever fully retiring as he manages his snooker schedule. The seven-time world champion’s future has been a constant source of uncertainty in recent years. Last season, he missed more than three months of action before returning at the World Championship, where he reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Zhao Xintong. Earlier this year, he made the Saudi Masters final, hitting two maximum breaks in one match, before losing an epic final to Neil Robertson. He has since missed the English Open and British Open as he manages his schedule, but doubts he will ever retire permanently. As reported by the Daily Star, he said: “Obviously, you’re going to think about retirement from snooker. I thought I’d retire at 35, and I’m 49 now. “So I’ve done an extra 14 years out of it more than I thought. The last time I played in Saudi, I proved to myself that yeah, I can still mix it with the top players.” O’Sullivan confessed he was “getting worn out” and chose to “cut all the other bits and pieces out,” including exhibitions and excessive travel. He added: “So, retirement? It’s kind of hard for some people. I can’t ever see myself retire. I just have to find things that I can do!” The Rocket has “two or three projects” which don’t demand his playing involvement, including Pluto’s new snooker channel. Nevertheless, he quipped there will arrive a moment when “it’s embarrassing” and it’ll be “time to put the cue down.” “There are a lot of really good 45-year-old snooker players. I mean, John [Higgins] is 49, Mark is [Williams] 50,” he said. “But there aren’t a lot of good players that can still play to a very, very high level. They just can’t compete with the likes of Judd Trump, Zhao Xintong and Kyren Wilson. But among the seniors, the standard is very, very high.” A new era dawned at the World Championship this year, with Zhao becoming China’s first-ever world champion. O’Sullivan, who used to practice with the 28-year-old, predicted: “I think he’s got an amazing future in the game. I’m sure he’ll win many more titles and eventually be number one in the world.” O’Sullivan is backing the debut of Pluto Snooker 900, the first dedicated snooker channel, available free and on demand via Pluto TV. It has already committed £600,000 in prize money for amateur competitors over the next 12 months. The channel aims to showcase the sport’s emerging talent, offering women, youngsters and players with disabilities the television exposure typically reserved for top professionals, alongside sporting legends. Kicking off with Legends Week on Monday, October 6, the channel will broadcast 18 hours of live snooker weekly, plus archive classics and O’Sullivan’s exclusive Rocket Method tutorial series. Download Pluto TV free on your smart TV and mobile and stream Pluto Snooker 900 instantly from 2pm on Monday, October 6.