RONNIE O'SULLIVAN GIVES HONEST FEELINGS ON SAUDI ARABIA MASTERS IN TRADITIONAL ATTIRE

Ronnie O'Sullivan has branded the inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters 'the best event on tour' after paying tribute to the organisers.

The snooker legend has been blown away by the facilities in Riyadh and insisted that the Saudis have set a new standard on the professional circuit.

Saudi Arabia signed a 10-year deal to host the ranking tournament and O'Sullivan got right in the mood, even dressing in traditional Saudi attire.

There is also a huge prize fund on offer with only the World Championship paying out more than the £2.3million prize money in Riyadh.

Before Rocket faced Chinese star Lei Peifan in the last 32 on Tuesday, he insisted he has been mightily impressed with how the Saudis have set up shop.

“Saudi Arabia has really raised the bar, this is the best event on the tour," O'Sullivan said.

"I’ve never seen so many happy snooker players, everyone is excited to be here, we want to compete, play well and put on a really good show for the Saudi Arabian fans.

“We’ve already seen a 147, which is fantastic, and the tournament has just begun.

"All the top players are about to enter the event and hopefully everyone’s going to watch some of the best snooker they could possibly see.

"The tables, the facilities, the venue that’s been put together; this tournament deserves to watch the best snooker ever seen. It really is that good.”

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Some snooker fans have been wary of the Saudi Arabian involvement in the sport, led by Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of the country.

The Crucible has long been heralded as the home of snooker while O'Sullivan has called for the World Championship to be moved from the Sheffield venue.

“I don’t like the Crucible,” he said earlier this year. “I don’t think you can get in and out of it. I think definitely it’s a wise decision to take it away from Sheffield.

“Still have a tournament there. Why not? But just not the world championship over 17 days. It’s a massive circus and you need a massive space to accommodate it.

“I think Saudi Arabia would be great. They’ve got the resources and would do it great.

"If you’re going to take it to China, you’d have to take it to Shanghai. Or another major city like Shenzhen or Guangzhou.

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“It’d be done properly. Courtesy cars will be laid on. Food will be there. Hotels will be great.

"Everything would be paid for. Prize money would be astronomical.

“The snooker becomes secondary. What are the facilities like? What’s it like for the fans? What’s the access like? You don’t need a 10 out of 10 venue. But everything else has to be right.”

2024-09-03T18:24:45Z dg43tfdfdgfd