Separate instances two years apart demonstrate Ronnie O’Sullivan’s personal growth into a more mature figure. At the World Snooker Championship this month, O’Sullivan was commended for a ‘wonderful’ piece of sportsmanship.

However, that event occurred two years after O’Sullivan sparked outrage among snooker enthusiasts by sassily offering referee Olivier Marteel the cue to complete a shot. With O’Sullivan leading 2-1 in the World Championship final against Judd Trump, the Rocket wanted to ensure that the referee was aware of the position of the white ball after being snookered.

He felt he could catch the edge but failed, thus TV replays were required to replace the ball. After finally replacing the ball, Marteel claimed to notice a glimmer of red, saying, “You can flick it on the left-hand side.” O’Sullivan replied plainly, “No, I can’t.” “You try?” he asked, moving to pass over the cue. The incident sparked controversy among supporters, with some accusing O’Sullivan of disrespect.

But two years on, a classy gesture during his defeat by Stuart Bingham at the Crucible displays O’Sullivan’s personal journey. After feeling that referee Desislava Bozhilova had incorrectly spotted the black ball, the 48-year-old refused to pot a red and instead opted for a safer shot.

“He played safe even though he could pot the red. It’s unbelievable,” said Neil Robertson, analysing the match for BBC Sport.

“This is probably one of the greatest bits of sportsmanship I have ever seen in any sport. That’s incredible. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

O’Sullivan had a different view of the situation, claiming: “To be honest with you, some of the refs, I think they’ve got it in for me, so I just wanted to prove to her that she got it wrong.