Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan’s withdrawal from the Masters is the newest in his flurry of sudden absences.
Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out of the Masters two days earlier than the match (Picture: Getty)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has surprised the snooker world by pulling out of the Masters for the second yr in a row. The 50-year-old withdrew for medical causes, having additionally finished so final yr after profitable the occasion again in 2024. The world No. 8 was set to face Australian Neil Robertson within the opening spherical of the Triple Crown occasion on Wednesday, however he is been changed by Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin.
The precise nature of the Rocket’s medical situation has not been disclosed, with snooker followers left puzzled and speculating over yet one more sudden absence. Nonetheless, he had given blended messages beforehand over his involvement, telling talkSPORT in September: “I most likely gained’t play the Masters this yr.” He later defined he would play if he may, explaining how his transfer to Dubai final summer time meant having to choose and select which tournaments to take part in.
O’Sullivan, who gained his first Masters crown in 1995 aged 19, has missed a number of different tournaments this season. They embrace the Wuhan Open and the British Open, citing medical causes or the necessity to prioritise his psychological well being.
It comes after he made the “nightmare choice” not to participate within the Masters in 2025 as a result of he was below loads of stress and self-confessedly “misplaced the plot.” He snapped his cue through the January 2025 Championship League beforehand after shedding a match and withdrawing from the match.
He admitted in April 2025 he had been “scared to go close to a snooker desk” throughout a troublesome spell and feared he had “misplaced his bottle,” highlighting how he was combating a lack of confidence. Ultimately yr’s World Championship, his nervousness “kicked off” in his first-round conflict with Ali Carter, later labelling snooker a “killer of a sport.”
The final bodily harm of word that O’Sullivan endured was a tear in his proper arm whereas lifting weights in a fitness center. The harm flared up a number of occasions, main him to drag out of occasions such because the WST Basic in March 2023. He additionally suffered from plantar fasciitis in late 2023, which required him to put on trainers throughout matches on the UK Championship, deviating from the same old costume code for snooker gamers.
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O’Sullivan final competed on the UK Championship in December, the place he has gained a document eight titles. There, he suffered a shock 6-4 defeat within the first spherical to China’s Zhou Yuelong at York Barbican.
Following his elimination, the Englishman admitted he was nonetheless uncertain whether or not he would play on the Masters and would wait to see how he felt in January. His subsequent likelihood to play competitively in Britain will probably be both on the Tour Championship in Manchester, which begins in late March, or the World Championship in Sheffield in April.
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