Ronnie O'Sullivan bravely opens up on struggles this year and reveals key change he's made behind scenes

Ronnie O'Sullivan says he has driven himself "mad" over the past two years as he opened up on his struggles following his latest victory over Ali Carter.

The world number one has enjoyed a stellar season on the circuit. He has lifted the Shanghai Masters, the Masters and the Riyadh Season World Masters this season.

And on Wednesday evening, he secured his place in the Tour Championship semi-final after beating Carter in a convincing 10-2 win at the Manchester Central venue.

On paper, it looks like O'Sullivan is back to his best but after another dominant performance, he opened up on his struggles in a brutally honest interview with ITV.

The 48-year-old admitted to going "back to basics" after getting sports psychologist Steve Peters involved in his preparations.

"I’ve just decided I’m going to change my thinking and forget about trying to fathom my game out,” the world number one said. “If I change my thinking I can accept whatever is thrown at me and take whatever.

“It’s been a hard year, drove myself pretty much insane really. It’s just got to me.

"I decided to speak to Steve Peters, said I wasn’t happy. I had to go back to basics and get my head right. Deal with it because doing it the other way round isn’t working.

“I’ve got to accept that’s life. You can’t be perfect all the time and trying to be perfect all the time is not ideal. Just getting my head around it is the only option I’ve have left."

He added: "I’ve driven myself mad for the last two years and not enjoyed any of it.”

Image credit: Getty

Image credit: Getty

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O'Sullivan continued: "I'm trying to figure out why I'm not feeling good when I'm out there.

"I'm winning and I'm competing, but I'm not striking the ball well. It's hard when you're playing matches against really good players all the time and competing for ranking points.

"Sometimes you don't relax enough. I need to figure out a way to find my game again and I think that's playing more exhibitions.

"I'm very patchy. The snooker I've played for two years hasn't been great. I've competed and (in) my head I give myself ten out of ten for that, I give myself full marks.

"But technique and execution of the shot, probably four or five out of ten. I've had to work hard for my performances. That's not my natural style. You win, but you don't get much satisfaction from it."