- Ronnie O'Sullivan was gracious in his heavy defeat to rising star Zhao Xintong
- The seven-time world champion lost 17-7 in the World Championship semi-finals
- He revealed that he intends to move for the Middle East to start a 'new life'
Ronnie O'Sullivan was a class act in defeat as he paid tribute to his victor Zhao Xintong with a throwback photo of the pair.
The Rocket's dreams of a eighth World Snooker Championship title were crushed by Zhao as he lost 17-7 to the rising Chinese star in the semi-finals at the Crucible.
He has since announced plans to leave the United Kingdom to live in the Middle East, where he has a snooker academy inn Saudi Arabia, and build a 'new life'.
O'Sullivan, 49, was competing in his first tournament since snapping his cue in anger in January and warning of feeling 'burned out' by the sport he has dominated.
But he was gracious in defeat to Xhao and shared a touching photograph of their first-ever encounter, back when his opponent was just a child.
'How it started vs how it’s going,' he wrote, also sharing a snap from his defeat on Friday.
Ronnie O'Sullivan shared a photo with Zhao Xintong as a child after losing to him in Sheffield
The Rocket crashed out of the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship, losing 17-7
Zhao described O'Sullivan as his 'idol' while the legend said his opponent deserved to win
O'Sullivan looked to have regained his form as he progressed to the final four with wins over Ali Carter, Pang Junxu and Si Jiahui but hopes of a record eighth crown in Sheffield were dashed.
Having been tied at 4-4 overnight, Zhao dominated Friday's opening session, winning all eight frames to move into a 12-4 lead.
He then kept his cool in the evening to complete an emphatic 17-7 victory, sealing his place in the final with a session to spare.
'I can’t believe it. Thank you to Ronnie, he helped me a lot before. He’s my idol,' Zhao said in the aftermath.
'Zhao played good, he deserved his victory,' O'Sullivan told the BBC.
'I think he's done brilliantly all tournament and all credit to Zhao. He played better than me.
'I've been awful for quite a while, those performances are in there, they've been coming out quite regularly recently.'
He added: 'I think I am going to be moving out of the UK this year. I'll be moving away to the Middle East. We'll see how it goes - I might be back in six months
O'Sullivan has also announced that he is leaving the UK to live in the Middle East
The seven-time world champion opened a snooker academy in Saudi Arabia last October
Located in Boulevard City, in the heart of Riyadh, the state-of-the-art facility serves as a premier training base for players to hone their skills
'A new life somewhere else. I don't know how that is going to pan out. I will still try to play snooker but I don't know what the future looks like for me really.
'It is a big part of my life but I have to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it's playing or not.'
Last year, O'Sullivan signed a three-year ambassadorial deal with Riyadh Season before unveiling his own snooker academy in October.
Located in Boulevard City, in the heart of Riyadh, the state-of-the-art facility serves as a premier training base for players to hone their skills under top-tier conditions.
The academy features five snooker tables made by Star Xingpai, the world’s leading table manufacturer and a long-time partner of World Snooker Tour (WST).
Speaking about the academy, Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, said: 'Snooker is an exciting part of our vision for Riyadh Season and that is why we are proud to partner with Ronnie O'Sullivan, one of the most successful ever in this sport.
'It will give all aspiring players in Saudi Arabia access to an elite facility to learn and develop under world-class, experienced coaches, as well as Ronnie, as we look to continue to build on the growing interest in snooker.'
Having taken time away from the game, O'Sullivan received a big reception from the Crucible crowd throughout the tournament, but the 49-year-old hinted that his below-par performances had led to him finding it difficult to enjoy his run to the semi-finals.
On his desire to play, O'Sullivan said: 'I'd like it to be [there], I'd just like to play alright and I just felt like I never gave him a game so that's a bit disappointing.'
O'Sullivan remains level on seven world titles with Stephen Hendry. He last won the tournament in 2022 and was hoping to move past the Scottish great this year.
But he rarely looked comfortable in Sheffield as he changed his cue and fiddled with the tip during matches.
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