Ronnie O’Sullivan has potted millions of balls but admits he wouldn’t be upset if he’d already found the pocket for the final time.

Five World Championships, seven UK Championships and seven Masters titles have made the Rocket an undisputed snooker immortal, as he reaches the twilight of a glittering career with a cue in hand.

But the world No.6 adopts a more pragmatic approach to competition these days, picking and choosing which events he plays in 27 years on from his maiden Triple Crown title.

O’Sullivan is still enjoying his snooker but says that burning desire for title after title is no longer present in his game.

“If never hit another ball I’m not that bothered, to be honest with you,” he said.

“But I like to play and I know that my life is better with having some snooker in it at the moment.

“The moment my life becomes not as good with snooker in it is the moment I go ‘you know what, I’m done’.

“But at the moment, it’s fantastic just the way I’ve got it and the results are, I’m not driven by results, I’m driven by: is this adding to my life?

“Yes, if it’s adding to my life, I’ll do it and I’m happy to do that sort of stuff, but the minute it becomes taking away from my life then that’s the minute you go ‘it’s probably not the right thing for me to do anymore’.

“So it’s more important that the way I approach what I do is done on that basis.”

The hectic snooker circuit sees players saturate their calendar with tournament after tournament, often finishing an event late on a Sunday night - if they reach the final - and picking up a cue the next day at a different venue.

But that lifestyle no longer floats O’Sullivan’s boat, who ranked 18th in this season’s recent overall standings and missed out on qualification for the top 16 Tour Championship in Milton Keynes.

O’Sullivan is currently preparing for a tilt at a sixth crowing glory at this year’s Betfred World Championship in Sheffield, where he is set for a last 16 duel with world No.11 Ding Junhui if he beats his - currently unknown - first round opponent.

The world No.6 is looking forward to Sheffield but admits his days entering every competition on the calendar are now long behind him.

“I’m not even looking at hitting the ground running and I’m not even looking at Sheffield or at any tournament,” he added.

“I just enjoy what I do and I just have fun with what I do.

“If I was to live and breathe it like they [the other players] do I probably wouldn’t be playing today, as I would have got fed up with it and just not enjoyed the grind of it all.

“I need some space, and I think the key now is that choose my moments when I think ‘maybe this is the week not to do well’.

“But picking and choosing for me is going to be difficult now because I’m not as good as I used to be.

“If the prize is big enough, I can put my eyes on that prize and go ‘I’m going to get that prize’ but actually, winning another two world titles and winning every tournament in one season isn’t really going to make much of a difference to my life.”

Live snooker returns to Eurosport and the Eurosport app. Watch the World Championship from 31st July – 16th August with analysis from Jimmy White.