Ronnie O’Sullivan will commute from Ireland for the World Snooker Championship. which begins this week. The competition is one of three tournaments that make up snooker’s Triple Crown Series and gets underway on Saturday.
O’Sullivan warmed up for the tournament by winning the inaugural John Virgo Trophy on Sunday,beating John Higgins at Goffs in Ireland. And for tax reasons, due to now living in Dubai, the Rocket will be based in Dublin for the World Championships and will continue to fly back and forth from the UK over the coming weeks at the end of the snooker season.
“I started playing alright a couple of weeks ago,” O’Sullivan said following his victory on Sunday. “For three years I have been very poor, pretty much every day.
“So I didn’t think I’d ever have another day where I’d feel good. But the last month I’ve been feeling alright. So it was nice to feel comfortable at the table.
“The crowd here was amazing. Any venue we play in Ireland, but especially here at Goffs, the atmosphere is electric. Amazing.
“I mean, I live here quite a lot now. I spend three months a year here. I’ve always loved coming to Ireland. It has always had a special place in my heart.
“But having lived here the last year or so, it’s been great. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
O’Sullivan revealed at the back end of last year that moving to Dubai had transformed his wellbeing and eased brutal travel demands. He said: “It wears you down after a while. It’s the jet lag more than anything. You never really recover. I kept a diary and for about 90 days a year I was in, like, a zombie state. I put a lot of importance on feeling good, your wellbeing and being at your optimum level.
“It went against all of my principles and values. I knew I could never play my best if I wasn’t mentally and physically in tune.
“Although I do all right, I knew I wasn’t playing my best because it just wasn’t possible. I was so tired, I was smashed; I just wanted to go to sleep a lot of the time.
“As a player you want to feel ready to play. It’s really hard if you’re going back and forth, especially if you’re doing well in tournaments. You have to try and manage it as well as you possibly can.”