Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan said he has all but given up on snooker and ‘can’t be bothered’ anymore with the game he has dominated for over two decades, but still can’t seem to shake his winning habit.

‘The Rocket’ reached the UK Championship quarter-finals with a narrow win over Robert Milkins in York on Thursday, fighting back from 2-0 down to eke out a 6-5 victory and describing his play afterwards as “stinking it out”.

O’Sullivan has had a turbulent year and threatened to quit playing last month if the World Snooker Tour prevented him from playing in lucrative non-tour events in China. “I had to grind out another win for my sins.

It’s a crazy game, it still torments me after 30 years,“ O’Sullivan told BBC Sport. “I thought (Milkins) deserved to win. I couldn’t feel anything, I was just all over the show. I haven’t got a clue any more, I don’t understand how this game works.

O’Sullivan threatens to quit in row with snooker chiefs

“Mentally it’s hard for me. I’m not going to kill myself out there, but I still want to play. I just can’t be bothered any more. I just don’t want it bad enough, that’s the problem.”

The record seven-time UK Championship winner faces Zhou Yuelong in the quarter-finals later on Friday and offered a bleak prediction on the clash.

“I gave up a long time ago, I just keep turning up and stinking out gaffs. I stunk it out today and I’ll probably stink it out tomorrow,” O’Sullivan added.