Tour Championship 2021 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 'done' with Milton Keynes: 'Not good for the soul'

ByDan Quarrell

Published 22/03/2021 at 13:27 GMT

Reigning world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is opening up this week's Tour Championship tournament, taking on rival John Higgins in the first of the quarter-finals, and he has been reflecting on life in Milton Keynes with a whole host of snooker tournaments having been based there. O'Sullivan is relieved to have finally moved away.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has bemoaned the amount of time he has had to spend in Milton Keynes after having played in the same venue for much of the last year.

The reigning world champion has taken part in 10 tournaments at the MK Stadium this season, with the snooker tour having been essentially based there.

This week's Tour Championship is being played at Celtic Manor in Wales before the World Championship takes place at the iconic Crucible in Sheffield.

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O'Sullivan made it very clear that he will not miss Milton Keynes and all the time he has had to spend in the Buckinghamshire town.

"I am just glad that I haven’t got to come back to Milton Keynes this season," O'Sullivan was quoted as saying.

"I am done there now… I have done my time! I am not sure I could ever come back to the place.

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"I was lucky, I didn’t stay here as much as some of the other players depending on how strict the bubble was.

I dipped in and out a bit. But I did one tournament where I stayed from start to finish and it was not good for the soul.

"So I am delighted I am not back there for sure for the rest of this season…and I just don’t know about next season. Who does know?

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"I suppose Barry Hearn might have an idea. Maybe he has done a job lot deal and will stage snooker, darts, pool, ping pong and fishing all there at once.

"You’d have to build a lake for the fishing, maybe they’ll stick a little lake out there in the car park. But let’s hope not."

O'Sullivan and Higgins, who face off on Monday, were recently both listed in a 'snooker GOAT' study which found the Scot to be the greatest player of all time.

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