Ronnie O’Sullivan has opened up on his decision to return to a former coach ahead of the World Snooker Championship. The Rocket has not been shy about his disappointments this season, despite picking up five titles en route to the Crucible.

O’Sullivan has reunited with Nic Barrow, a former professional and founder of The Snooker Gym, as he looks to return to his unabashed best in Sheffield. The seven-time world champion even threatened to retire should his form not improve in the next year, but has made a big change at the World Championship and accepted outside help.

“I’ve been trying to think how I want the next five to 10 years to be,” O’Sullivan said. “I’ve been working with a coach and we’ve done a lot of testing in some ways, and I’ve realised I don’t know much about snooker.

“I thought I did. I know how to get a ball in a hole, and I know how to compete and win it, and I’ve got an idea of what needs to happen – I know I have to get this bit of wood and this ball and if I do this, that should happen.

“But I haven’t been that efficient in the last few years and I’ve just tried to accept that I needed a bit of help, so I’ve gone back to a coach that worked with my old coach, and I’m going back through the stuff that worked for me.”

O’Sullivan can become just the fourth player to claim a single-season Triple Crown should he be victorious at the Crucible, following wins at the UK Championship and Masters. But despite starring in a campaign where he has won five titles, the Rocket has been left disappointed by his playstyle.

He hopes that working with Barrow and psychiatrist Steve Peters will allow him to get back to his best. “I like to win and I’ve got another five to 10 years, and I’ve got to enjoy the work that I’m doing,” O’Sullivan added. “I know I’ve won tournaments but winning and playing to a certain standard don’t always match up.