RONNIE O'SULLIVAN fears a broken ankle may force him to pull out of the Coral UK Championship at York.

The Rocket cut a frustrated figure in his 6-2 first round win over amateur Daniel Wells - limping round the Barbican's main arena with his damaged ankle wrapped in a support.

O'Sullivan was given a cushion and a stool for support when sitting but was visibly in pain and struggled with his game until a late spurt saw him clinch the match with breaks of 88 and 65.

The 38-year-old tweeted a picture of his heavily swollen ankle earlier in the week and the five-time World Champion is due to play next on Sunday evening against either Peter Lines or Joe Swail.

But he conceded the injury, which happened while he was out running, would see him withdraw from the tournament unless it improved in the next couple of days.

"The injury is disappointing - a broken ankle. It is not comfortable. To be honest, I didn't enjoy any of that," O'Sullivan said.

"It's painful for me to play out there with this. It's broken."

On the decision to play against Wells, who had held the Rocket at 2-2 at the mid-session interval, he added: "I wanted to see what happened. I practised and I am hobbling about and, during the match, I am all over the gaff to be honest.

"I just thought I would give it a go but if it doesn't improve I am not sure I am going to play my next match.

"I can't get on the shot properly. I am hobbling around, it's swelling up, it's painful. I have taken all the painkillers, I have done all I can do but, to be honest, if it is not better by Sunday I probably won't play."

O'Sullivan, whose recent autobiography detailed his love for running, says he may now quit that passion until his career is over.

He explained: "I am absolutely gutted. I am enjoying my snooker more than ever and to do that through running - I am really angry with myself.

"I am so annoyed at myself. I think I will probably stop running now until the end of my snooker career because you can't do this.

"It's the third time I have broken my foot. I fell over in the forest. I was running with my mate and he'd asked me what time I was doing on the run. I looked at my watch and I just lost my footing and I slipped.

"That was it. Partly his fault, partly my fault and I am frustrated with myself because I am a snooker player, not a runner.

"I just shouldn't do it. It is really frustrating."

York Press: