As Ronnie O’Sullivan gets ready to start his UK Championship campaign on Tuesday in an attempt to win the competition an eighth time, he claims he is still as driven as ever to win trophies. The top player in the world has also acknowledged that, given how quickly the sport is developing in Asia, he would rather compete in Chinese competitions than those in the UK.
Ronnie O’Sullivan states that his desire to win every competition he enters is still strong, but he would rather play in China than the UK.
The “Rocket,” who has won the UK Championship seven times, is getting ready to face Anthony McGill of Scotland on Tuesday to start his campaign
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Ever since he rose to the top of the global rankings for the first time in the 2002–03 season, after winning his third UK Championship, O’Sullivan has been a dominant force in the sport.
Even if he will choose participate in tournaments, he is convinced that his desire to win titles has never faded.
“Any tournament will do,” he said to Eurosport. “I compete in tournaments with the goal of winning. I show there to play with the intention of winning, regardless of the location of the tournaments
“I’m not here merely to inflate the figures. But it goes without saying that Macau and the Thailand Six Reds will be the next two most significant tournaments for me.My own performances in China in May, June, and July are my top priorities after that, and I’ll squeeze anything else in around them. I’m not interested in playing every week.
China has grown increasingly interested in snooker in recent years, and there have been calls for UK competitions to improve player experiences.
Where O’Sullivan would prefer to practice his profession is obvious.
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Without hesitation, he declared, “If I could play in any tournaments, I would definitely just choose the China events.”
“I would definitely prioritise all the China events over the UK tournaments, but there are only so many—only four or five—so you have to participate in a few of the UK events.”I’ll be traveling for about ten to fifteen trips a year, presumably including my own invitation-only events that I host and promote alongside other Chinese promoters. If you’re interested, I can also do these events off-screen
“We continue to perform in front of excellent crowds and extremely talented musicians at excellent locations. These are the primary events I like to prepare for since, in a sense, they are my concerts.And as I mentioned earlier, I’ll participate in other competitions to keep an eye on things and avoid embarrassing myself when I actually go out and play.
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