Ronnie O'Sullivan drops coldest statement after highest break in snooker history

Ronnie O'Sullivan's first post on social media after hitting a new snooker record break of 153 speaks volumes.

O'Sullivan hit the break in frame one of his 5-0 win over Ryan Day in their World Open quarter-final.

He was presented with a free ball opportunity - where a player can elect to take on a colour as their first red if an opponent's foul has left them unable to hit a red full-ball.

He then followed that up with the black for a further seven points, before compiling a 145 break to clear up the table.

See more: Ronnie O'Sullivan hits the highest break in snooker history at the World Open

Taking to Twitter afterwards, O'Sullivan thanked fans for their messages and support - before telling them simply to 'keep watching the snooker'.

"Just want to say a big shout-out to all the people who have been messaging me, congratulating me on my 153," he said in a video message.

"It was a pretty cool moment. Really happy to do it. Thank you for everyone out there who has supported me.

"Keep enjoying the snooker in Yushan."

O'Sullivan on record-breaking 153

While still at the venue in Yushan, China, O'Sullivan conducted an interview with the World Snooker Tour about his break.

The seven-time champion said he knew nobody had ever made more than a break of 147 on television - and instinctively felt like 'something's not right' while he was compiling it due to the free ball rule.

"It got to a certain point where I didn't realise... I was like, 'Okay, it seems like there's too many balls on the table here. Something's not quite right here'," he admitted.

"That happened to me last time I was on a 148. I was looking at the table and I thought, 'Something's not right here. The guy should need snookers, but he doesn't'. That was when I realised that I took a free ball."

He then added: "There's a few [breaks] in there that really mean a lot to me, and they're special moments. I'm sure that's up there with some of them, like the two 147s in one match. That was cool.

"I just wish I'd have got paid more for it, that's all!"

"I've never made anything more than a 147 [even in practice]," O'Sullivan continued. "For me, it's the excitement and the buzz. If the excitement and the buzz is there, I can do great things.

"But unless there's some sort of something at the end of it. I hadn't made a 147 in years, but I did realise that if I made two in certain tournaments, then there was... so I went for it..

"If not, then I don't really get excited by it. I need to think that there's a good reward at the end of it.

"Then you tend to get focused a bit more, I suppose. It sharpens the mind up a bit."