Ronnie O’Sullivan could ‘pull out’ of tournament over shoes

Ronnie O’Sullivan has said he may “pull out” of the English Open due to a dispute over wearing trainers.

The 41-year-old beat Zhang Anda 4-1 to reach the second round in Barnsley but has allegedly been told he must wear appropriate footwear for the next tie, after he wore trainers for the first match.

The five-times World Championships winner took to Twitter: "Being told by World Snooker that if I don't wear a black training shoe on Wednesday, I can't play.

"Looks like I will have to pull out of the English Open because someone's not happy I am wearing a trainer due to a sprained ankle."

He added: "I am just treating it like a holiday. I wandered up to Sheffield, filled my fridge up with lots of food and will be cooking on my boat tomorrow.

"I pitch up, hit a few balls and see how it goes. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

At the 2015 World Championship, O'Sullivan escaped a fine for playing in just his socks against Craig Steadman as his shoes caused him discomfort.

The year before at the UK Championship, he went into the tournament with a broken ankle, which caused him discomfort in the early stages, but still went on to win the title.