Ronnie O’Sullivan has joked there be will be a 10-year contract on the table tomorrow after winning the first-ever Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.
The Rocket heaped praise on the organisers of the tournament in Saudi Arabia, who have announced that the golden ball prize will be doubled to $1million next year.
O’Sullivan beat reigning world champion Luca Brecel 5-2 in Boulevard City on Wednesday to claim his fifth tournament win of the season.
The Rocket never looked close to hitting a 147 break and having the chance to pot the golden ball for a historic 167 to win £395,000 ($500,000).
Ronnie O’Sullivan joked he will get a 10-year contract after winning the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker
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The reward would have only been given to the first player to achieve the incredible feat this week.
But because no one was able to, Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh says it will be doubled at next year’s tournament.
His Excellency also said a snooker academy in the name of O’Sullivan is in the pipeline in Saudi Arabia.
Alalshikh said after the match: “Hello everybody. Today in this competition, no one got the golden ball.
“For that, for the next competition, we will double it for $1million (£790,000).
“And second thing. In Saudi Arabia, we are honoured to discuss with O’Sullivan to have an academy by his name in Saudi Arabia.”
Before the announcement, O’Sullivan gave his reaction to winning yet another tournament.
And he thanked those involved in putting on the event this week, saying: “It’s been a fantastic tournament, brilliant venue. The crowd have been amazing.
“It’s been a long time since we came to the Middle East, I think like 1994, so far too long.
“To have snooker back in the Middle East, we’ve been treated fantastically well this week, all the players have enjoyed it.
“The hospitality has been fantastic, the culture here is fantastic, and we’d be so grateful to come back here and play many more times.”
O’Sullivan hopes he will be back next year, adding: “Hopefully [I will be back]. These are the tournaments you really want to play in.
“One table, great crowd, great atmosphere, the music was going in-between the frames. It was like we were in some sort of rave. It was like going 25 years back when I was young.
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Turki Alalshikh announced the golden ball prize for next year will be doubled to $1m
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“But I think the whole crowd have enjoyed it, it’s made it a bit more lively. It just feels like a really nice festival.
“Riyadh Season of sport, you’ve got the boxing on Friday, the F1 on Saturday. Everyone needs to get to Saudi!”
O’Sullivan was praising the Saudis so much that he joked a big contract would be coming shortly.
He said: “You want to make the sport as big as you can make it but obviously coming to places like this, the Saudis are a powerhouse.
“If anyone can inject anything into snooker, it will be the people who have put on the tournament this week.
Ronnie O’Sullivan picked up his fifth trophy of the season on Wednesday
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“Hopefully they’ve enjoyed it, the crowds have enjoyed it, we’ve certainly enjoyed it. So there should be a 10-year contract on the table by tomorrow!”
O’Sullivan is determined to win the golden ball next year after missing out this week.
He concluded: “Golden ball, yeah. I’ll get there next year. You don’t want to take it all at once, you know.
“The tournament this year and the golden ball next year, it would be great.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
