Barry Hearn has sent a clear message to Ronnie O'Sullivan after the seven-time world champion said he would not attend snooker events unless the money was right. The Matchroom chief is hopeful O'Sullivan will keep playing until he reaches 60 and insists the sport's doors will always be open for The Rocket.
O'Sullivan's Warning After Saudi Masters Cancellation
O'Sullivan exited the Crucible at the last 16 stage following a dramatic 13-12 defeat to John Higgins. He spoke afterwards about insufficient big-match practice due to selective tournament participation over the past two years. Following reports that the £2.3 million Saudi Arabia Masters has been scrapped, O'Sullivan cautioned that he won't attend any events anywhere unless the price is right.
Speaking via the Daily Record, O'Sullivan said: "Any tournament I go to, they all know they have to get the chequebook out. If that stops, then I stop. Whenever it is – Saudi, Qatar, China, here, whatever it is – I always make sure I've got some sort of fee coming because otherwise people know that I won't turn up. I have other options so I'm not really worried. Hopefully Saudi will still want to do some stuff, but we'll have to wait and see. I'll make my decisions based on whatever happens there."
Hearn's Response: Doors Always Open
Snooker chief Hearn believes the sport has a promising future with or without the superstar, but is hopeful O'Sullivan keeps featuring for another decade and has no concerns with him selecting his appearances. He said: "Ronnie is a legend. How important was Tiger Woods in golf? Very few players ever brought about the commercial advantages that Tiger did, but their time comes and I'm just hoping that Ronnie's this enigma that will be playing when he's 60. Occasionally. When he feels like it. And good luck to him. Let him play when he wants, and the day he wants to play, the doors will always be open."
Hearn added: "I want him to do that because I want him to be happy. If he's not happy, he's not the same person, he's not the same player. He's quite happy, I think, I hope. But the game has to be strong enough to survive big names, as any sport has over the years, and we will adjust, and we will create other big names."
Legends of the Game
Hearn acknowledged the stature of O'Sullivan and other veteran players: "Will they get to the stature of Ronnie O'Sullivan? I personally doubt it, but who knows? I don't know what the future is there. If I knew what the future was, I'd be backing every horse in yesterday's race. Mark Williams is still there, John Higgins is still there. Ronnie, the great Ronnie. These people are legends. I mean, what other sport's got 50-year-olds playing at the standard they're playing, taking on the teenagers and coming through strong? It's just nice [when he plays]. It's not important, it just nice because if it's important, it means you can't deal without him and that's not the case. We have so much talent in this game."
