Davis: Ronnie could walk away

Steve Davis claims Ronnie O'Sullivan is not alone in suffering from snooker "burn-out".

But Davis suspects the troubled superstar is the only player in the game today who could make a spur-of-the-moment decision to quit. O'Sullivan told organisers last week that he would be withdrawing from the Betfred.com World Championship, before sleeping on the decision and reversing it the following day.

Davis told Press Association Sport: "If one day he (O'Sullivan) woke up and thought to himself, 'I don't fancy being a snooker player anymore', he may not. I don't think many players within the game would be able to drop it like a hot potato, but he possibly is one that could."

He added: "He obviously loves the game, or has loved the game, and it's hard to believe you could completely fall out of love with it."

Davis has also consulted a sports psychiatrist, Dr Steve Peters, in an effort to spur his interest in competing again, after four straight first-round defeats in major tournaments.

He has heard the likes of Stephen Hendry set timespans for their careers, before electing to carry on beyond their intended retirement dates.

Davis added: "What we've got with Ronnie is another animal entirely.

"I'm not sure there's any plan there with Ronnie. We've got a player who's much more likely to do something on a whim. I'm not saying that's totally the case because he may have a plan, but Ronnie is very much on his emotions and if he doesn't fancy it on the day, he won't."

Davis, still playing at 53 despite failing to qualify for the World Championship this year, suggests O'Sullivan has not been the first and will not be the last player to lose his appetite for competition.

"Burn-out is a problem for a lot of players," Davis said. "You can lose interest, it's just how you cope with that. You know full well you're not going to wake up every morning and be desperate to go to the practice table. You've just got to be understanding of how it changes for you and perhaps cut your cloth accordingly."