O'sullivan Set To Start Bid For Record Eighth Title

Halo World Championship

Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 19 April to 5 May

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app; unrecorded matter sum of selected matches; updates connected BBC Radio 5 Live

Ronnie O'Sullivan's return aft 3 months distant from competitory action is nan header attraction connected a star-studded 4th time astatine nan World Snooker Championship.

Seven-time champion O'Sullivan will look astatine nan Crucible Theatre successful Sheffield for nan 33rd consecutive twelvemonth erstwhile he takes connected two-time runner-up Ali Carter successful nan first information connected Tuesday (14:30 BST).

The 49-year-old has not played a competitory lucifer since snapping his cue astatine nan Championship League successful January.

Before nan tournament, he told BBC Sport that "to travel present is an accomplishment successful itself for me" arsenic he documented his struggles to find his champion shape successful caller years.

Also connected Tuesday, world number 1 Judd Trump and Masters champion Shaun Murphy will get their campaigns nether measurement astatine a wide-open World Championship.

Eddie Hearn, president of Matchroom Sport - which owns a mostly liking successful nan World Snooker Tour - is pleased O'Sullivan has chosen to return part.

He told BBC Sport: "I cognize what nan crippled and this arena intends to him and it would beryllium a shame if he wasn't here.

"You've sewage to make judge you're successful nan correct framework of mind to compete. Life's astir being happy, not conscionable doing what group want you to do. Everybody wants him to beryllium present but it's sewage to travel from his ain accord.

"Maybe that crippled is nan 1 conscionable to ray nan occurrence a small spot and I'll beryllium tuning successful to spot what Ronnie tin do."

His first-round force Carter reached world finals successful 2008 and 2012, losing to O'Sullivan astatine nan last hurdle connected some occasions.

Ranked 18th successful nan world, nan 45-year-old Englishman was nan highest-ranked subordinate to advancement done qualifying.

O'Sullivan said: "It'll beryllium a reliable match. Ali had a reliable commencement to nan play but it looks for illustration successful nan past 2 aliases 3 months he's been cueing well, playing good and enjoying it again, which is nan astir important thing.

"Every lucifer is reliable but Ali is simply a really bully match-player. I'll person to play amended than I person been to person a chance of giving him a game."

Analysis: Jamie Broughton, BBC Radio 5 Live snooker reporter

O'Sullivan gave immoderate very honorable and revealing answers erstwhile we said earlier nan tournament.

The top prima successful nan history of nan athletics has not been happy pinch immoderate method aspects of his crippled complete nan past 4 years, contempt winning a number of large titles during that time.

He explained that his reluctance to play connected circuit since January, erstwhile he deliberately collapsed his cue astatine an arena successful Leicester, was nan consequence of that frustration. He besides admitted that he had suffered shape fright and possibly moreover mislaid his bottle.

But make nary mistake, he has been practising difficult earlier nan World Championship, including playing connected a fewer days pinch Barry Hawkins, and he will judge he tin play his measurement into nan tourney arsenic he looks to situation for a grounds eighth title.

O'Sullivan starts his run against Carter - nan 2 players do not for illustration each other, truthful that could besides adhd to nan atmosphere.

Trump, 35, has won 30 ranking titles during his dressed up profession but his 2019 triumph astatine nan Crucible is his sole World Championship triumph.

He defeated chap Englishman Hawkins to triumph a 2nd UK Championship title successful December, a occurrence that helped him to break nan grounds for nan astir prize money won successful a azygous season.

He plays China's Zhou Yuelong successful information 1 (19:00), while Murphy starts his best-of-19 lucifer against Crucible debutant Daniel Wells successful Tuesday's greeting convention (10:00).

It is 20 years since Murphy, now aged 42, won nan 2005 World Championship arsenic a qualifier and his shape successful caller months has fixed him assurance for different changeable astatine nan sport's biggest prize.

"In erstwhile years I've travel present hoping for a bully performance, whereas this twelvemonth I cognize I'm going to play well," nan world number 15 told BBC Sport.

"My game's successful really bully style and I'm really looking guardant to getting going. Does that mean I'll beryllium present travel nan weekend? Who knows?

"I'll effort my best, I've tried my champion each years for nan past 20 years and I've ne'er managed to recreate nan magic of 2005, but it's not been for nan deficiency of trying and this twelvemonth will beryllium nary different."

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*match to beryllium played to a finish