FIVE-TIME WORLD Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan claims he will no longer participate in major snooker tournaments.

Instead, he says in an interview with the Telegraph, he will avoid the glare of the media by playing ‘three or four’ low-key tournaments while the World Championship, Masters and UK Championship continue with him as a notable absentee.

The world number one, who crashed out to amateur James Cahill in the first round of this year’s World Championship, says the sport’s marquee tournament is not worth the hassle it brings him.

“I’ve won it five times. It ain’t worth the blood, sweat and tears to me now. That tournament? Probably not for me any more,” O’Sullivan said after outlining a drastic cut he could make to his schedule.

“This year I played 11 tournaments; next year I’m only going to have to play three…  maybe three or four tournaments a year. Low-key ones, where there is no media and no press. So I will miss the Masters, I will miss the World Championship and I will miss the UK [Championship].

I don’t even want to play in the World Championship – all the press and media they want you to do. I’m not here for that. It’s alright for young kids…”

The 43-year-old added in his interview that he, in fact, did still want to play. But that his dealings with governing bodies have soured to create a “broken marriage”.

“They don’t like me, I don’t really like them. We are living under the same roof, just trying to be nice and tolerate each other.

“But if they want to overstep the mark and make my life too unhappy, I’m off. You are going to lose out because I am not going to come to your tournaments.

“I’m going to lose out because, really, I want to play.”

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