Ronnie O'Sullivan on shock defeat: 'I was struggling to stay awake'
Ronnie O'Sullivan has said that he was feeling "absolutely shattered" after being knocked out of the World Snooker Championship in the first round by amateur James Cahill.
The five-time winner was beaten 10-8 at the Crucible in Sheffield.
O'Sullivan, who looked drained, told the BBC: "My limbs are feeling very heavy. I feel absolutely shattered, just drained, I have no energy. I was just struggling to stay awake."
The world number one was asked if anything had happened that could explain his defeat.
O'Sullivan said: "You have to come here mentally and physically feeling good, mentally I was feeling up for it.
"You come here and try to do your best but if you're physically not 100%...then it's going to make it even harder
"I tried to hang in there and get through this match and have a few days off."
O'Sullivan then went on to praise his opponent saying that Cahill deserves credit for the win.
"There are two ways of looking at it. One is, he has come here and played brilliantly. But, I also left him some easy chances and allowed him to gain some confidence.
"But whatever way you look at it, you have to give credit to him, he got over the line."
