Ronnie O'Sullivan has remained coy over his future in snooker after winning his fifth World Championship this evening.
O'Sullivan returned to the sport after a near year-long absence to become the first man to retain the title since Stephen Hendry in 1996 with an 18-12 win over Barry Hawkins in tonight's final session.
The 37-year-old had previously suggested that he would retire after completing his current contractual obligations, meaning that this year's Crucible showpiece would be his last major tournament.
However, he admitted that he has enjoyed his time at the 2013 tournament and refused to rule out returning to defend his title again next year.
"My main motive wasn't to come here and win it. I was kind of bored, sitting on the sidelines with nothing going on and I thought, 'I can do it'. Something to just keep me busy for the next six weeks, preparing for the worlds," O'Sullivan told BBC Sport.
"And then coming here, I like Sheffield, I love the tournament and being at the Crucible, so it filled a nice gap of eight weeks and I've got to keep busy now. It's been great just to get something back in my life.
"I've had a great time and I enjoyed every moment. I love playing and I'm definitely going to be playing in some smaller events, as to me that's just pure snooker. Here, there is a lot going on and it's hard, but I just love playing so I will definitely be playing in some smaller events and we will just see what goes on."
O'Sullivan hit a record six century breaks in this year's final, overtaking the previous record for total treble-figures breaks at the Crucible in the process.
Barney Corkhill
