Ronnie O'Sullivan enjoying 'quieter life' as manager reveals snooker plans for season after quitting UK

Daily Record

21 hours ago

Jason Francis, Ronnie O'Sullivan's long-serving manager, has explained the Rocket's plans for the new snooker season as he enjoys his new life in the Middle East
Ronnie O'Sullivan's manager has revealed the snooker icon's plans for the new season after a tumultuous 2024/25 campaign both on and off the table.
The Rocket's struggles reached a climax during a Championship League match in January. He snapped his cue in frustration, discarded it, and promptly withdrew from the Masters at Alexandra Palace, a title he was set to defend. That led to a string of other late tournament pull-outs, leaving fans eager to see the seven-time world champion in action feeling let down.
‌
Equipped with a new cue, he made his much-anticipated return to the World Championship in April, reaching the semi-finals despite ongoing equipment problems. After his loss to eventual winner Zhao Xintong, O'Sullivan disclosed his plans to relocate to the Middle East, where he has a snooker academy in Saudi Arabia, sparking fresh uncertainty about his future in the sport.
‌
Meanwhile, the Rocket has reportedly reconciled with actress Laila Rouass, following a split from his long-term partner nine months ago. The pair are said to be planning for a new life in Dubai, a two-hour flight away from his academy in Riyadh.
Jason Francis, the Rocket's long-time manager, says the 49-year-old has been reaping the benefits of a change of scenery and anticipates him participating in the Shanghai Masters, a prestigious invitational event, which begins at the end of July.
"Ronnie's moved out to the Middle East for a while. You'll probably see him first in Shanghai. He's had a little break from the UK," Francis told the Express.
"You're talking about someone who can't go to the shop without being asked for a selfie, a photo. Where he is, he's finding a life a little bit quieter at the moment.
"Ronnie's Ronnie. He'll decide when he wants to play and everyone knows he can come from nowhere to win a major tournament. You won't see Ronnie play a full schedule [this season] but I think you'll see him try and properly prepare for the tournaments he plays in.
‌
"He'll still be the sport's most commercial player in the short-term. Whether Zhao Xintong or [Judd] Trump can pick up that mantle now as we transition... Ronnie will be 50 in December, people have to remember that. They still expect him to turn up and win everything."
Francis described O'Sullivan's run at the Crucible as "absolutely incredible", adding: "He didn't even have a cue a few weeks before!
"But that's Ronnie for you. He had one bad session [losing all eight frames of the second session]. I'm not saying he could have beaten Xintong – there was a feeling his name was on the trophy – but apart from one bad session, he was still toe to toe with him.
"I think if he had beaten Xintong, him and Mark Williams would have been an incredible final. But it's great for snooker to have a Chinese world champion and it's for World Snooker to exploit that over there."
The Shanghai Masters, which begins on July 28, will see the top 16 players in the world rankings, including O'Sullivan and Zhao, joined by the next four highest-ranked Chinese players. The tournament has a prize fund of £825,000, with the winner pocketing £210,000.