Ronnie O'Sullivan has warned he could quit playing tournaments in Britain after his quarter-final loss at the World Snooker Championship; O'Sullivan was beaten Stuart Bingham 13-10 at the Crucible to end hopes of an eighth world title
Thursday 2 May 2024 23:16, UK
Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed he needed persuasion from a new sponsor to appear in the World Snooker Championship after seeing his quest for a record-breaking eighth title shattered by Stuart Bingham in a major quarter-final upset at the Crucible.
The 48-year-old recently signed a deal with the Saudis which ironically commits him to signing a new contract with World Snooker Tour, in order to fulfil his obligation to play in the inaugural Saudi Masters in Riyadh at the end of August.
O'Sullivan was beaten 13-10 by Bingham on Wednesday, ending his hopes of a clean sweep of Triple Crown trophies in one season, with the Englishman revealing post-match that he only committed to playing in the event after persuasion from a new sponsor.
"I wasn't going to playing in this one until a new sponsor came along, and they twisted my arm," O'Sullivan told reporters. "If I hadn't have come here I would have done (punditry) days with Eurosport. They've been pretty good with me, so I wanted to fulfil that."
Asked what he would have done instead of competing, O'Sullivan said: "There's so many things to do in life. I've got such a busy, good life. I'd have probably have some painting with Damien [Hirst].
"Ate some nice food with him, took the dogs. Spent time with Laila [partner], seen my children, gone to Champney's Spa and spent maybe four or five days there. There are so many nice things to do.
"I'd have come here, spent a few days doing stuff with Eurosport, running in the peaks, going to the gym, doing good food. Yeah, life, that's what I'd have probably done. It probably sounds boring to you guys but it sounds bloody exciting to me!"
O'Sullivan will jet off for an exhibition tour of China, Finland and Bulgaria next week, insisting he will pick and choose his future tournaments, and increasingly prioritise big-money offers from Saudi Arabia and the Far East.
And with four other tournaments scheduled for China before the end of the year, O'Sullivan expects to pick up enough prizes and ranking points to enable him to keep his appearances at the less appealing UK events to a minimum.
O'Sullivan said: "I'm contracted to do certain events in China, and I'm contracted to go to Saudi, so obviously they've got first dibs then it's about spending time at home with the family.
"It's first come, first served. I'm already signed up for eight or nine tournaments, so if I do really badly in them I might have to dip my toe in and play a few tournaments over here, but probably not.
"I don't just turn up willy-nilly to events, there's a tax to be paid. If people are prepared to pay it, I'll get my cue out of my case. If they're not, I'm content to never ever play again, and move on and do other stuff."
The lucrative opportunities elsewhere appear to have given his career a new lease of life, as he shrugged off defeat to Bingham - and the loss of his No 1 ranking - insisting: "I like getting my cue out and I like the sound of the balls."
O'Sullivan added: "You only get one life and I want to fulfil everything to the maximum, but I'm also aware of my value and my time, and what I bring to the sport.
"As long as those needs are met, I'll keep playing. If they're not, I'll be hanging up the waistcoat and hanging up the cue. At the moment there's enough things going on to keep me interested in the game."
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