One is the most naturally gifted player his sport has ever scene and regularly has crowds gasping at the quality of his play. The other is one of the hardest workers in the sport, but rarely pulls in the crowds or receives public adoration
Despite their lack of common ground. They've both won world titles, they've both made millions of pounds out of the sport. They've also both suffered from depression and, at various times, had to stop playing the sport at which they excel.
If you've haven't guessed, I'm talking about the sport of snooker and the two men in question are Ronnie O'Sullivan and Greame Dott.
O'Sullivan is the most famous player in the world. He has entertained crowds for the last 20 years and won 5 world titles, the last of which came after he'd taken a year out of the sport. Fans know him as the Rocket, in honour of his high speed style of play. For the majority of the time, he makes the sport look ridiculously easy, but occasionally you get a glimpse into the mind of the man. Sometimes it's just an annoyed punch of the table, occasionally it's something more extreme. There was the famous occasion where he walked out of a UK Championship semi final in the middle of a frame. He later said that he just couldn't cope with being in the arena and needed to leave. The reality is that he suffers from elongated bouts of depression and self doubt. "I lie there some mornings and think what's the point of even getting out of bed? I end up lying there until one in the afternoon. I'll struggle up, have a cup of tea and that's pretty much it. Those are the days you just lose." One of the root causes of O'Sullivan's condition was the murder conviction handed out to his father when O'Sullivan was just 16, not surprisingly it had a massive impact on him. However, depression is a complicated illness and it would be wrong to sorely put his condition solely down to that event.
Greame Dott has also won the world snooker title (as well as being the runner up on 2 occasions). However, he doesn't share anywhere near the same levels of fame and public support as O'Sullivan. Ask any snooker fan to describe Dott and you'll hear adjectives such as gritty, brave, hard-working and determined. It all sounds vaguely patronising, but in truth Dott has done a wonderful job of making the most of his ability. Every shot is given such a high level of care and attention, you think his whole career depends upon its outcome. Whilst Dott is a highly skilled and successful performer, his style isn't exactly "box office" and few non snooker fans have heard of him. Like O'Sullivan, Dott has suffered from depression. Again, there have been tragic events in his life that have had a profound effect on him and again it has led to the player having time away from the game.
Dott and O'Sullivan are vastly different performers and when you watch them play, it's hard to believe they have so much in common away from the sport. But that's the thing with depression, there's no template for who it affects and there's often no way of spotting somebody who suffers from it. The flamboyant woman who talks all day in the office, the quiet chap who just gets on with his job, the middle manager who works long hours. Depression could hit any of them and, in many ways, that's the most worrying thing of all about the illness.
