Ronnie O'Sullivan made a worrying admission in his post-match interview following his 4-3 win over Zhou Yuelong at the World Grand Prix.
O'Sullivan went into a commanding 2-0 lead against the Chinese snooker star, hitting a century break in the second frame. But he needed a final frame decider to beat the number 15, who fought back in determined fashion with a clearance of 76 to level the scores.
'The Rocket' will now play in the quarter-final, where he takes on one-time World Championship semi-finalist Gary Wilson.
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The 48-year-old has already confirmed he will take a short break from snooker at the end of the tournament ahead of a busy end-of-season schedule.
And he worried fans with an honest admission about the state of his game after the match - saying he isn't 'getting any enjoyment' from playing as he currently is.
Speaking to ITV's Rob Walker, O'Sullivan stated: "I've got to really consider whether I can carry on feeling how I'm feeling out there.
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"I just don't get any enjoyment from the way I'm hitting the ball. I feel like it's just hard work, I haven't a clue where the balls are going, and a lot of it's just guesswork.
"The worst thing is you're winning bloody tournaments as well. If I was getting pumped every round playing like that it would be an easy decision to make.
"It's been happening like this for 25 or 30 years, so it's nothing new. It's the only thing I've known, and it's hard not to do this because it's my job, it's all I know, so I've struggled through it.
"But I can't accept bad cueing. I'd rather cue well and lose, than cue well and win tournaments. I get no satisfaction out of it, I really don't."
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Alan McManus and Stephen Hendry, who were analysing O'Sullivan vs Zhou for ITV4, admitted that they were surprised by O'Sullivan's comments given his recent run of results.
'The Rocket' could become just the fourth player in snooker history to complete the Triple Crown in a single season if he wins the World Championship at the Crucible in May, having already lifted the UK Championship and Masters titles in December and January respectively.
Topics: Snooker
Ryan Smart