Ronnie O'Sullivan is not a fan of the "rowdiness" from the Alexandra Palace crowd at the Masters, despite having won the tournament seven times in the past.
The Masters has been held at Alexandra Palace since 2012 after the event moved from Wembley Arena.
No player has won more Masters titles than O'Sullivan, who last won the event back in 2017 when he defeated Joe Perry.
He gets his 2024 Masters up and running against Ding Junhui in a repeat of the recent UK Championship final that O'Sullivan won.
Ronnie O'Sullivan isn't a fan of the atmosphere at the Masters
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And the snooker icon is eager to get going as he bids for his eighth Masters crown.
However, O'Sullivan has admitted he struggles to block out the "rowdy atmosphere" created by the Masters crowd.
“I'm really looking forward to getting into the business part of the season,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport.
“The Masters is hard because it's a bit rowdy and I don't really like the rowdiness.
"It is sort of like, if I was to go out on a night out, I would choose a quiet place where I could just sit and relax.
“Playing snooker in a rowdy atmosphere is like my worst nightmare, but you have to get your head around it, go out there, perform, play and try to block it out in some sort of way.
"You kind of get in your own little bubble. I find it quite difficult but you know, you have to adapt.”
O'Sullivan has set his sights on a personal landmark too by clinching one more Masters title and another World Championship to make a round number for the Triple Crown.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is looking to add to his UK Championship win
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He added: “It was nice when I had 7, 7, 7, and now I’ve got 7, 7, 8. So it'd be nice to go 8, 8, 8 - the three eights.
“I suppose that’s the sort of motivational thing to try and get another Masters, try and maybe get another Worlds.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan last won the Masters in 2017
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"I said I was happy with one World Championship, one UK, one Masters; over the moon.
“So, when we start talking about going beyond that, I sort of just see everything as just a bonus really; a nice bit of icing on the cake.
“8, 8, 8 - let’s go for it.”
