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2nd May 2024
04:43pm BST
Ronnie O'Sullivan has hinted that he may no longer compete in tournaments held in the UK following his shock World Championship exit.
The Rocket was going in search of a record eighth world title only to be beaten by Stuart Bingham in the quarter finals, a result that stands as one of the shocks of the tournament.
There's no time to rest for the 48-year-old however as he prepares to travel to China, Finland and Bulgaria for the upcoming exhibition tour.
However he has said that he will now begin to pick and choose which tournaments he wants to play in and will prioritise events in Saudi Arabia and the Far East given the lucrative pay days that are on offer.
"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," he explained.
"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."
O'Sullivan's recent agreement with the Saudis will see him feature in the inaugural Saudi Masters in Riyadh at the end of August. He also has four events in China too and believes they will be enough to give him the ranking points required to appear in the major UK events.
"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," he added.
"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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