Officials from the World Snooker Tour, who are looking into Ronnie O’Sullivan for his X-rated tirade at Ali Carter, have come under fire.
After winning a record-tying eighth Masters championship, the 48-year-old Rocket went loose on his opponent, turning the air blue with an expletive-filled outburst against the man who said the world No. 1 was “snotting all over” the Ally Pally court. This new outburst has been added to O’Sullivan’s rap sheet, following his earlier this season criticisms against the way the sport is managed.
He has made threats to give up the sport in order to concentrate on his lucrative demonstration appearances in China. Furthermore, O’Sullivan doubts that, should he lose his tour card, he would be granted wildcard status, as former snooker greats Jimmy White, Ken Doherty, and Stephen Hendry were. This is because O’Sullivan is in hot water with snooker bigwigs. O’Sullivan intends to win all three of the major championships in golf in a single campaign when he competes in this year’s World Championship.
“I would like to think that I would receive a wildcard if I were to fall off the tour, but knowing World Snooker, they probably would say, ‘No, you aint getting one.'”
Throughout his remarkable career, O’Sullivan has been troubled by his quest for perfection. “It’s nice to win tournaments, but my biggest concern is that I don’t feel comfortable or confident in my game,” he continued.
“I’m not pleased with my game, which is more important to me than winning tournaments, even if I know I’m winning them. It’s actually been a surprise. To be honest, I have no idea where it came from.
“I’m not too concerned. While I still aspire to perform well, playing well is my first priority. I would rather play poorly and lose than perform well and triumph.
“My exhibits are the most important thing to me. I have to make time for the 20–25 exhibitions I have committed to doing each year.
“The next two months are crucial for me since I have 20–30 day obligations for my sponsors.
That really is my own kind of stuff. I basically just play enough tournaments to clear my schedule. Without competitions, I wouldn’t put in as much practice.
The seven-time world champion is hoping to break the record he shares with the legendary Scottish player Hendry at the Crucible cauldron. Additionally, the Chigwell potter has laid out his timetable in an effort to peak just in time for a Crucible charge.
The Rocket said, “I’ll be missing quite a few tournaments after this week.” To be honest with you, I shouldn’t have actually been here, but I figured I had earned the right to be here, so I showed up.
“Looking back, I ought to have given up on this one too. I’ll try my hardest, though, because I’m here now.
“I enjoy competing in Chinese events, so I’ll try to qualify for the World Open in China. After that, I’ll be done until the Players Championship at the end of February.”
