O'Sullivan Threatens to Quit After Cruising to His Third World Title

Ronnie O'Sullivan threatened to bow out at the top after last night becoming only the third man to win three world championships since the event moved to the Crucible Theater in 1977. The 32-year-old said he was "disappointed" with his performance despite a convincing victory over Allister Carter and revealed he was considering quitting snooker.

"It is quite well-documented I struggle with the game and myself and sometimes this week I was thinking 'If I win this, wouldn't it be nice to go out on a high as world champion?"' he said after his 18-8 win. "I'm going to need some time to think over the summer because I'm world No1, world champion, UK champion. It might be a good time to have a bit of a break.

"I like playing but sometimes I find it tough. There is nothing better than going out on a high. I hope to be back next year, I really do. I love the atmosphere and I love the pressure. But if not, then I've had a great time and loved the support everyone has given me. It has been fantastic."

O'Sullivan, the most gifted player the game has seen, has made similar threats in the past. Though well below his best he was still too strong for Carter, also from Essex. He becomes only the eighth player to have won the title more than twice and the oldest champion for 22 years.

Resuming with a six-frame advantage at 11-5, O'Sullivan won the morning session 5-3 to give him an interval lead of 16-8. And in the evening he needed just half an hour to pick up the two frames he required to give him an 18-8 win. "I am disappointed that I couldn't put up a better performance in the final but it's a tough place," he said. "I was struggling with myself and my game. I didn't play fantastically but overall I was more consistent and I did it in one session in every match."

O'Sullivan is still a long way behind Stephen Hendry, who was 30 when he won the last of his seven titles in 1999, and Steve Davis, who was 31 when he won the last of his six in 1989.

No one can accuse him of being an unfulfilled talent any longer but he said: "I felt uneasy out there. The best I felt in the final was the first three frames and the last two. I used to practice against Ali when he was a kid. I know what he's capable of. Sometimes it's better when you don't know."

Even a male streaker who dashed round the table before the final session failed to put The Rocket off. He won his 17th frame with a break of 69 and the clinching 18th with breaks of 34 and 28 as he at last showed the form that had the game gaping in awe during his semi-final victory.

Carter said: "Obviously I'm disappointed. But I'm up to No8 in the world, I got to the world final and I had a maximum 147 and if you offered me that a couple of weeks ago I would have grabbed it."

O'Sullivan's preparation had been less than ideal. He got into trouble for lewd comments during the China Open in March. There will be a disciplinary hearing for that later in the summer with officials mindful that they do not want to drive away the greatest star the game has known.