Ronnie O’Sullivan ‘must be getting paid a lot of money’ for Crucible appearance | Other | Sport
But it came as a surprise when the Rocket announced his intention to compete in the seniors’ tournament, which gets underway just a couple of days after the main event. When quizzed on what he thought about it, fellow pro, Barry Hawkins, joked that he must be earning a hefty wedge for the privilege.
Speaking to 24/7Bet, Hawkins said: “It’s unusual that Ronnie’s playing in the Seniors, but I reckon he must be getting paid quite a lot of money to be there. He’s obviously been invited there to promote it, so I’m sure he’ll be getting a nice appearance fee.
“I was a bit surprised to see him get involved, because he’s got such a big build-up for the World Championship, and he’ll have been putting himself through the wringer with the practice for that, and it’s another thing he’ll have to dedicate his time to.”
He added: “Although at the Seniors, he will just be under less pressure. It will just be a bit of fun for him, so maybe that’s the reason why he’s having it. He can just enjoy himself after the gruelling possible 17 days at the Crucible, at the proper World Championship.
“You’d have to put Ronnie as the favourite, especially in the sort of form he showed at the World Open. Although, there are plenty of great players who are going to be in it. Mark Williams, Ali Carter, Stuart Bingham, and Matthew Stevens, to name just a few. The table at the Seniors looks like it’s got bigger pockets too, which may be a bit more of a leveller for the other players.”
Following the announcement of his entry, WSS chairman Jason Francis branded O’Sullivan the ‘most commercially viable player in the sport’. He said: “The most commercially valuable player the sport has ever seen will make his World Seniors debut at the Crucible Theatre in May in an attempt to add another world title to his CV — wow!
“We’ve already sold more tickets than we did for the entire event last year, and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s participation is set to drive even greater demand.”
