"I really don't care any more," Ronnie O'Sullivan said after losing to David Grace in the second round of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.

Despite winning a record-equaling seventh world title in Sheffield earlier this year, O'Sullivan has frequently expressed a lack of desire in recent seasons.

After blowing a two-frame lead to lose 4-3 to Grace, a former UK Championship semi-finalist, he issued a scathing assessment of his current position in the sport.

According to O'Sullivan, " "The job isn't worth the stress and inconvenience. A loss can be a blessing in disguise because it allows me to do other things.

"I gave up mentally about eight years ago and now just enjoy what I can of the sport. It's a great platform for me because it allows me to do other things and gives me a lot of freedom.

"There isn't enough good stuff in the game to get excited about in terms of winning or making my name in the game. I'll wake up one day, get excited, and play a good tournament, but if I don't, I don't care."

O'Sullivan took the first two frames in Belfast's Waterfront Hall before Grace equalized with breaks of 57 and 94.

Grace also won the fifth frame with a break of 64 after a fluke red, but she missed several chances to win the frame before O'Sullivan forced a decider. However, O'Sullivan only hit one ball in the final frame as a relieved Grace secured one of his career's biggest wins.

"I got over the line in the end, I worked hard," Grace told Eurosport. "Normally, you don't get a second chance. When I missed my first chance to win 4-2, the snooker Gods usually don't forgive you, but they were on my side today.

"It was 2-0 and I'm proud that I was able to find the cue-ball control to make a couple of breaks in the middle of the match to give myself a foothold." When you play the legends, they get better when they go ahead, and they don't usually give you a chance, so it was nice to be able to give myself a chance."