RONNIE O’SULLIVAN is quitting the UK and relocating to the Middle East.
Now his is over – as – the Rocket will pack his bags and leave for overseas.
Long before his 17-7 hammering by , which ended with a session to spare, – who turns 50 in December – had planned to move abroad.
His home was seen online up for sale a few months ago and following changes in his personal life, he is heading to the Gulf for a new chapter in life, with the UAE the likely destination.
O’Sullivan, who has a , said: “There’s going to be a few changes in my life, so I’ll see how that goes.
“I think I’m going to be moving out of the UK as well this year.
“So I don’t know how that’s all going to pan out, to be honest with you.
“I’m going to start a new life somewhere else. I’ll still try to play but I don’t know what the future looks like for me really.
“Am I not playing again? I’m not saying anything. I’ve said it so many times.
“I’m not saying anything other than I’m moving away soon. There’s a lot more important things in life to worry about than a game of snooker.
“For me, it’s a big part of my life, but I’ve got to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it’s playing or not.
“I’ll be moving away to the Middle East. See how it goes. I might be back in six months, who knows!”;
O’Sullivan had intended to play for the next two years at least but concedes that would be reduced if he continued to perform as poorly as he did on Friday.
It is 31 years since O’Sullivan exited the World Snooker Championship in such embarrassing fashion with a spare session left.
The sport’s greatest potter has only played NINE matches this year, having pulled out of five events on “medical grounds”; as he struggled behind-the-scenes.
His biggest issue and biggest regret was .
The cue he brought to the Crucible had several tip changes and a different ferrule, from titanium to brass, but he will not chuck this one in the bin.
O’Sullivan said: “I won’t throw it. The merchandise people want it. So, it’ll be up for sale. I won’t be throwing it.”;
In 2022, O’Sullivan beat in the final to claim a seventh world title and this was the closest he had come to grabbing that historic No.8.
, who shares the record of seven crowns, can sleep easily for the next 12 months or so.
But O’Sullivan said: “It doesn’t really bother me to be honest with you. I’ve never fallen into that thing of: ‘Oh, I want to win an eighth.’
“I just want to come here and enjoy the snooker to be honest with you.”;
