08 May 2024 , 18:04
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has been knocked off the top of the world snooker rankings following his failure to capture an eighth world crown.
The Rocket, 48, was the red-hot favourite to win a record eighth world title heading into the World Snooker Championship, however, he was upset in the quarter-finals by Stuart Bingham, who recorded a superb 13-10 victory.
O'Sullivan's exit coincided with a controversial exchange with referee Desislava Bozhilova. He told Bozhilova to "chill" as she urged him to play a shot. The tournament was eventually won by Kyren Wilson.
Not only did O'Sullivan's loss at The Crucible end his world title hopes, it has also caused him to drop to fifth in the world rankings. He had previously held the No.1 spot for two years.
Mark Allen has replaced O'Sullivan at the top of the rankings with Judd Trump, Wilson and Luca Brecel above O'Sullivan in the top five.
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O'Sullivan made plenty of headlines in Sheffield during the tournament, revealing after his exit that he considered skipping the event altogether before being persuaded to take part by a sponsor.
He also suggested a number of changes he would like to see made to showpiece event, which is synonymous with The Crucible. There has been speculation, however, that the event could be moved overseas.
“I think it’s a little bit dated. It could be updated maybe,’ O’Sullivan said of his ideas for a Crucible revamp in The Metro. "It could have some better facilities in here for the players to relax and maybe have some nice food at the venue so you don’t have to keep bringing it in.
“I like the way they’ve got the courtesy cars here this year so you don’t have to scrum your way through the venue every time you come here. You don’t mind coming to the venue now. It’s the first time in years so that’s a real plus.
“I get scones brought to my room before my match and that’s something else you don’t need to worry about. They’ve started to make these little improvements. But if you really put down a wishlist…I think the venue could be more friendly towards players. Relaxation rooms maybe, more practice tables, maybe two more practice tables. Showers maybe, a nice dressing room with showers maybe.
“If you get a clever interior designer or an architect in here you could knock all the walls down and start again. Maybe make it bigger and better and more up to date. Who knows.”