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Snooker icon Jimmy White has shared his thoughts on Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan's decision to move to Dubai.Both players have relocated from the UK to the Middle East in the past 18 months, citing various reasons for their decisions.

O'Sullivan's move was partly due to struggles with jet lag, while Trump enjoys spending more time outdoors in the sunny climate of Dubai. White, a six-time world finalist, was recently asked about their relocations and whether it could impact their performance on the snooker table.

"I don't think it'll affect their snooker, those guys living in Dubai," White commented. "Judd Trump is performing to such a high standard. I know the facilities in Dubai are good and Ronnie has been practicing hard. If he's going to win his eighth world title, he needs to play in tournaments to get matchplay."

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Trump, who has a girlfriend from Hong Kong, clarified that his decision to leave the UK wasn't solely about tax benefits. "We can't get away with tax. Everything (earned) in the UK is still taxed. So that's not the reason," Trump explained.

"For me, the reason for going is I enjoy spending time outdoors, and I can't really get that here in the UK anymore. I enjoy playing golf a lot in my downtime, and I brought some of my clubs to the UK Championship but was unable to play as it was too cold."

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"So there's a few reasons. I've always wanted to move to Dubai. I just felt like now is the time when the game is changing, really. Half the tournaments are abroad. I can imagine that there's going to be a day where it's actually beneficial to be in Dubai or wherever it is, rather than in the UK anymore. That's what I feel. Obviously because of Zhao Xintong, there's going to be more tournaments in China in the future and abroad."

Ronnie O'Sullivan, who tied the knot with Laila Rouass last year, had his own unique reasons for relocating. The Rocket confessed: "I work a lot in the Middle East and China and the jet lag, I could never get on top of it. That was a struggle."

He added: "We're not there for a boujie sort of lifestyle. I just like the simplicity of it there, the weather's great."

White once hailed O'Sullivan as the greatest snooker player ever. "Ronnie O'Sullivan [is] for sure the GOAT," he declared to Eurosport in 2023.

"Greatest of all time. Seven world titles, seven UK titles, seven Masters titles, more than 1,200 centuries so far in his career. Why he's so good is because he makes the game look so easy. That is why Ronnie O'Sullivan is the greatest of all time."

Ahead of the Masters final earlier this month, Midnite, the sponsors of the 2026 Masters, introduced the Midnite Shuttle. This service transported fans from Alexandra Palace Station to the main entrance, saving them the uphill trek.

Fans were granted access by showing the Midnite app on their mobile devices, with the shuttle driven by Ken Doherty.

Jimmy White was speaking following his exhibition match vs Ken Doherty at the Midnite Lounge, a luxury area open to all fans who attended the Masters.