Ronnie O’Sullivan has ulterior motive in travelling to China for £850k snooker tournament | Other | Sport

Ronnie O’Sullivan has said that winning in the Xi’an Grand Prix is secondary after experiencing the Chinese culture. The Rocket is playing at the £850,000 tournament and has breezed through his first couple of matches.

O’Sullivan eased past Wang Yuchen, winning 5-0, during his qualifier. He then defeated Hungarian teenager Bulscu Revezs 5-2 in the first round of the main draw.

But the seven-time world champion insists that he has primarily come to China to indulge in the culture. Winning the £177k prize from a total pot of £850k is merely secondary to the world’s best player.

“I have spent a couple of days here in Xi’an before,” O’Sullivan told the World Snooker Tour. “It has a beautiful atmosphere, you feel as if you’re on a film set. It’s definitely one of my favourite cities.

“I come to China for the food, the culture and the people, if I do well at snooker that’s a bonus. It was a brilliant crowd and atmosphere today, this is probably one of the best tournaments of the season now.”

However, O’Sullivan has not been impressed with his consistency recently. He reflected on the need to devise a long-term plan to improve his form.

“My game has been terrible for two years. I am looking for a longer-term plan to play the way I want to, I just have to keep showing up and trying my best.”

China is one of the destinations that O’Sullivan believes could host the World Snooker Championship in future years. He and several other top snooker players have been critical of the Crucible Theatre, the tournament’s long-term home.

O’Sullivan is in favour of the sport’s biggest competition moving around the world and believes the resources would be much better in China or Saudi Arabia.

Speaking in April, O’Sullivan said: “I think Saudi Arabia would be great. They’ve got the resources and would do it great. If you’re going to take it to China, you’d have to take it to Shanghai. Or another major city like Shenzhen or Guangzhou.

“It’d be done properly. Courtesy cars will be laid on. Food will be there. Hotels will be great. Everything would be paid for. Prize money would be astronomical.

“The snooker becomes secondary. What are the facilities like? What’s it like for the fans? What’s the access like? You don’t need a 10 out of 10 venue. But everything else has to be right.”