Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted that he does not have any extra ambition at big tournaments like the Masters, with the Rocket more interested in playing at Asian events. O’Sullivan cruised to a 6-3 win over Ding Jinhui in the first round on Monday despite his Chinese opponent hitting a sublime 147 maximum break.
O’Sullivan will be hoping to beat defending champion Judd Trump to this year’s Masters title after losing to Luca Brecel in the opening round of the previous edition. It seems that he will not be too upset if he fails to lift the trophy, though, with the 48-year-old not feeling any extra pressure.
When asked if he has more ambition for the big snooker tournaments, O’Sullivan said: “No, I don’t have any ambition really. Just go out to play, enjoy the game, enjoy being away, enjoy playing in front of good crowds and at nice tournaments. Just enjoy it, you know.
“The different cultures and different places we get to travel, China, Macau, Asia and Germany, places like that. I’ve got a lot of friends on the road so for me it’s more about meeting some friends and having a nice time in different cities and breaking life up a bit.”
O’Sullivan recently travelled to China for two exhibition matches against Ding, with the first being played in Macau on Christmas Day. He managed to win that one but was beaten a few days later as the pair faced off again in Tibet despite the Rocket racing into an early 5-1 lead.
“Yeah, we were in Macau then Tibet,” he added. “We’re doing quite a few bits and pieces in China. Obviously he’s very popular out there and I’ve also got my sort of fanbase out there. We sell a lot of tickets together, I think 6,000 or 7,000 over a couple of days in Tibet. Good crowds, it’s nice to play in front of crowds like this on a regular basis.”
The high altitude in Tibet was a shock to the system for O’Sullivan, who revealed that he needed to sleep with a gas tank beside his bed due to the lack of oxygen.
“I had to sleep with a gas pump by my bed because I couldn’t breathe,” he explained. “When I say I couldn’t breathe, I mean it was a little bit [tougher than normal]. 99.9 per cent of the people that go there would have to do that anyway. It’s just the normal.
“It was a great experience to be in that part of the world. I want to play more Asian tournaments because they put on really great events and the fans are so excited to see you. At this stage of my career I feel it’s important to go to places where you’re playing great venues in front of great crowds.”
Follow our Express Sport page on Instagram here.
