Ronnie O’Sullivan has made his feelings clear on Ally Pally (Picture: Getty Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has not held back on his opinion of Alexandra Palace, labelling the Masters venue ‘disgusting’ and saying: ‘I can’t wait to get out of here to be honest.’
The Rocket is bidding for an eighth Masters title and is into the semi-finals after wins over Ding Junhui and Barry Hawkins, despite not really hitting top form as yet.
The world number one got the better of Hawkins with a 6-3 victory on Thursday afternoon, but that was not enough to put him in a good mood about the venue for the iconic tournament.
In a remarkable attack on the world famous venue, O’Sullivan said: ‘I just don’t like this place to be honest with you, I just find it disgusting.
‘Everywhere’s just dirty, it’s cold, I’m freezing. I have to sit here in my coat. Everywhere you go, you’re going through car parks, it’s bins.
‘I don’t know if you’ve seen over there [the media catering area]. there’s leftover food and stuff and it makes me feel ill to be honest with you.
‘I’m a bit of a clean freak. Coming here gives me the heebie-jeebies and I can’t wait to get out of here to be honest. I’m sorry, that’s just how I feel.’
O’Sullivan is bidding for an eighth Masters title (Picture: Getty Images)
A statement from World Snooker Tour read: ‘We work alongside Alexandra Palace to provide the best possible conditions for players on and off the table. All other players have spoken with unanimous positivity about the venue. Fans love coming here.
‘This is underlined by record ticket sales and the fact that all standard admission seats sold out ahead of this year’s tournament.’
A spokesperson from Alexandra Palace added: ‘We’ve been proud of the overwhelming positive feedback the venue has received in recent years, and it’s obviously disappointing that Ronnie feels differently. We hope we can change his mind and that he enjoys the rest of his tournament here.’
O’Sullivan will return to Ally Pally on Saturday for his semi-final meeting with Shaun Murphy after the Magician beat Jack Lisowski 6-3 on Thursday evening.
MORE : Ronnie O’Sullivan jaded and unwell but still swinging at The Masters
MORE : Ragged Ronnie O’Sullivan does enough to beat Barry Hawkins in Masters quarter-final
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‘Coming here gives me the heebie jeebies and I can’t wait to get out of here.’