Ronnie O'Sullivan reveals person who left him struggling to play snooker – 'I couldn't pot a ball'

Ronnie O'Sullivan has compared his larger-than-life father to Del Boy from iconic British sitcom Only Fools and Horses, but admits his presence has always added pressure to his play. The seven-time world champion was forced to visit his dad in prison every month after Ronnie Snr was jailed for murder in 1992, the same year his son turned professional, before he was released in 2010. Ad Despite loving spending time with his father, the snooker GOAT admits the dynamic did not help him focus on potting balls during the heat of competition.

Snooker'It's all about ruining your opponent's life' – O'Sullivan on brutal mentality of snookerYESTERDAY AT 09:37 «He was my dad, and we're a close family you know,» said O'Sullivan, speaking on The Late Late Show in Ireland to promote his new autobiography Unbreakable. «They were the best two hours of my month. He made me laugh, he was funny and he made me giggle.

I loved my dad and I loved his company. »We had a problem when I was younger. If I lost, he would always tell me 'you should've done this or that'.

I really couldn't play when he was watching me. «Then when I was 11, I started to win and he was smart enough to go 'he plays better. He wins when I'm not there'.

»When he came out of prison, he came to The Masters. There was 2,000 people there and I couldn't pot a ball. I could feel his energy." «He was a massive part of my life.

My rock, my mentor. Big character. Del Boy and I was Rodney,» said O'Sullivan, who feels he lost at least seven years of his 31-year career to drink and drugs addiction.

«Obviously, he got done for murdering someone when I was 15. He went to jail for 20 years. That rocked me.