RONNIE O’Sullivan has come under fire for comments he made in which he compared competing in the Players Tour Championship to being ‘raped’.

In an interview with the Press Association, O’Sullivan expressed his disapproval at the lack of prize money. He said: “I feel like I’m being raped when I’m playing in them.

“They put these ranking events on and ranking points at these tournaments and it just feels like the winner’s prize is not great…..most players are going there and losing money.

“But they’re putting ranking points on so it’s forcing the players to play in it, which is not great, but what do you do? You have to go.”

O’Sullivan’s comments prompted a response from World Snooker, who said players were under no obligation to enter the PTC events, which were introduced last season, and added that prize money has almost doubled inside two years. In a statement, World Snooker said: “We have a responsibility to provide events for all 99 players on the main tour and the PTC events offer playing opportunities for them.

“Players have the choice whether to enter each event.

“The top prize at each PTC may only be £10,000, but the top 24 at the end of the series go through to the Grand Final, when the top prize is £70,000.

“Two seasons ago there were only seven or eight events on the main tour calendar; now there are nearly 30 and total prize money has virtually doubled.”

O’Sullivan’s indifference towards the PTC last season saw him drop to 14th in the world rankings, but he recommitted himself this season, and has taken part in the majority of events.