Ronnie O'Sullivan claims he will work to improve his condition during the snooker off-season after an early exit at the World Open.
The Rocket lost to Hossein Vafaei in the last-16 in China on Thursday as he missed the opportunity to add to his five tournament wins this term.
O'Sullivan has had a superb season at the table, winning the first two Triple Crown events at the UK Championship and the Masters.
He will aim to win all three in a single campaign for the first time in his career when he heads to the World Championship next month.
Ronnie O'Sullivan says he will work to improve his condition in the off-season
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But his preparation for the Crucible took a slight setback when he suffered a 5-4 defeat at the hands of Vafaei.
O'Sullivan told local media that Vafaei deserved to win and the scoreline was closer than it should have been.
He said: "Vafaei obviously played better today and deserved this victory. Today, my performance was much worse than that of my opponent.
"My long stand was unable to put pressure on my opponent, and the game was not as close as the score.
"After the game, I will go to the World Billiards Museum to do some activities, then go to the gym to exercise, and will stay for an extra day or two."
O'Sullivan insists he is not tired and will not use any excuses for his defeat.
However, he claims he needs to work on his condition and will be doing so after the World Championship.
He added: "I’m not tired, and I can’t use this as an excuse to lose. But in terms of performance, I can only give myself 3-4 points, but in terms of spirit, I can give myself full marks.
"I feel that I have been playing the game very hard, but it is still very difficult and I did not show my best condition.
"I will do some things in the off-season to help improve my condition, including some exhibition games to increase my competitiveness and improve my performance under pressure.
"I may come to China, or some other places to play some exhibition games later."
O'Sullivan admits he loves competing in China and also had positive words to say for the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker after winning the inaugural event earlier this month.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan was knocked out of the World Open by Hossein Vafaei
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He said: "This is one of the best tournaments in the world, and very important. I saw a lot of passionate fans and a really nice stadium.
"The event was very good and well organised. This and the Saudi event are the best events in the world."
Vafaei was delighted to beat O'Sullivan, admitting the 48-year-old is his idol.
The Iranian said: "I’m very happy to get the victory. He is my hero. Just playing against Ronnie O’Sullivan is a dream come true, but what about winning?"
Ronnie O'Sullivan is preparing for next month's World Snooker Championship
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"We both didn't play that well but the game was high quality, especially when Ronnie was 4-3 down and then he made the century.
"That was a tough century he made and I thought now he's got a little bit of momentum and it's hard to stop him.
"At the end, I'm so happy, delighted with this win."
