Ronnie O’Sullivan admits he is “at a crossroads” regarding his future in snooker amid the prospect of seeing his game time in China limited by a World Snooker Tour (WST) policy.
The seven-time world champion highlighted the greater financial rewards and enjoyment that come from playing in China as opposed to the UK, and said he might be tempted to leave the tour.
O’Sullivan’s comments come after Luca Brecel, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter all faced punishment for signing up to a private event in Macau instead of the Northern Ireland Open. The exhibition was subsequently switched to December with permission from WST.
“If I can’t go out and do what I need to do – which is play a lot in China – then I won’t ever play again.
“We are at a sort of crossroads now.
“There’s not enough here for me in the UK to justify the effort that I put in. When I go to China I play in great venues, great crowds, great prize money. And I love it.
“If that gets to the point where I’m not able to do that or I’m not allowed to do that, then I probably won’t play. I’ll probably go and play Chinese 8 ball [pool] because I still want to play snooker. I still want a cue in my hand.”
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The WST issued a response to O’Sullivan’s comments and insisted they were happy for him to compete in China as long as it did not affect the integrity of the tour.
“While we are delighted for Ronnie to build his profile in China, and to play in his private exhibition events, our priority is to protect the interests of all players,” the WST said.
While players under contract are not compelled to compete in every WST tournament, they “must not do anything that is detrimental to the WST or a WST event”.
A WST statement, released after news first broke of Brecel, Higgins, Selby, Un-Nooh and Carter’s decision to prioritise the exhibition in Macau over the Northern Ireland Open, said: “It is important to stress that WST players do not have to enter all WST events, they have the freedom to choose, which has always been the case.
“This level of freedom is unlike any other sport where players have voluntarily opted to enter contracts with their club/organisation. However, with this level of freedom we do make clear in our player contracts that a player must not do anything that is detrimental to the WST or a WST event.
“It is without doubt that playing in a non-sanctioned event instead of playing in a WST event is detrimental to that WST event.”
“Hi guys, just wanted to let you know I’m unfortunately withdrawing from the Champions of Champions event tomorrow,” said O’Sullivan on X.
“Mentally, I feel a bit drained and stressed and I want to look after my mental health and my body. I’m sorry to all the fans but I’ll be back.”
O’Sullivan could return to action in the UK Championship, with his first match scheduled against a qualifier on Tuesday, November 28.
