Ronnie O’Sullivan has no timescale on his return to playing competitive snooker and has quashed talk of a return at the Masters in January.

The 39-year-old, who has a property in Chigwell, has not played a competitive match since the World Championship in April.

There he crashed out in the quarter-finals to eventual winner Stuart Bingham.

And, speaking to BBC Sports, insists he won’t be rushing to return to the professional circuit.

“I am reluctant to give up this easy life I have at the moment, which is very enjoyable,” he said.

“I am dithering but at the moment I am enjoying life so much I haven’t really got the time to practice or give the game 100 per cent.”

He continued: “I go down to the club and hit a few balls. I didn’t play for around two to three months after the World Championship and decided to play in some of the amateur tournaments at the snooker academy in Gloucester.

“I have done a little bit of practice but not too much and played in some exhibition matches.

“It has given me the chance to travel around the UK and I love that.

“We move from one venue to the next and it is exciting because you never know what you are going to get.

“If there was no snooker for me to play, I would rather stay at home.”

Asked if rumours regarding a return at the Masters were true, the five-time world champion replied: “That is not true.”

O’Sullivan’s decision not to defend his UK Championship title was recently described as ‘weird’ by Shaun Murphy “We know trying to predict his decisions is a waste of time,” he added.