O'Sullivan returned to the snooker arena, and the goal of the 2025 World Championship is to get rid of Hendry's seven titles

On the 22nd local time in the UK. Ronnie O'Sullivan, the king of the generation, returned to the snooker arena and led his opponent Ali Carter by one game after the first stage of the first round of the 2025 World Championship.

O'Sullivan won the World Snooker Championship in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022

The 49-year-old O'Sullivan hasn't played since January, when he lost 2-3 to Milkins in the 2025 Snooker Champions League. According to British media reports, O'Sullivan threw his club in the trash can in the players' lounge after the game.

Subsequently, he withdrew from a number of competitions, including the Masters, the Welsh Open and the Grand Prix, saying he "needs to prioritise his health and wellbeing". However, the seven-time world champion recovered from the loss in the first game, and then ended the first stage of the first round of this World Championship with a 5-4 advantage, and when the game resumes on the afternoon of the 23rd local time (14:30 BST), the "Rocket" still needs to win five more games to reach the round of 16.

In the game, "Rocket" scored 107 points in a single stroke and took a 3-1 lead, which was the 1283rd single stroke over 100 in his career and the 208th single stroke over 100 at the Crucible Theater. He also had a chance to create a single shot over 100, but when he scored 85 points, he missed a red ball in the middle pocket.

O'Sullivan was expected to take a 6-3 lead, but missed a long red ball when he was leading 46-5, and Carter seized the opportunity to chase the score to 4-5.

Speaking to BBC Sport before the game, O'Sullivan told BBC Sport that "coming here is an achievement in itself" and that he documented his mental health issues. In modern times, no player can win the World Snooker Championship eight times, and O'Sullivan's goal is to get rid of Stephen Hendry's seven crowns and enjoy the record of the most titles in the World Championship.