Ronnie O’Sullivan has spoken out for the primary time since withdrawing from the 2025 Masters – saying he had “exhausted” himself.
The Rocket was on account of defend the title he received a 12 months in the past on the Alexandra Palace in London however pulled out of his scheduled first-round match with John Higgins on Friday.
O’Sullivan had been anticipated to problem for a record-extending ninth Masters crown, however the 49 year-old opted to skip the occasion citing medical grounds.
The world quantity three was within the Eurosport studio on Monday night the place he shed some mild on the explanations behind his choice.
“Yeah, it was a nightmare choice actually to make,” Ronnie O’Sullivan instructed Eurosport forward of the match between Mark Selby and Ali Carter.
“In case you had requested me on Sunday if I used to be able to play, I in all probability would have been okay to play. Nevertheless it’s such an enormous match.”
“I’ve been on a three-week journey away taking part in, and I simply assume I exhausted myself. There was numerous strain whereas I used to be away.
“I simply assume that the build-up of all that form of simply bought a bit an excessive amount of actually. So yeah, I misplaced the plot on Thursday and snapped my cue.
“That’s unplayable, so I simply knew at that second in time the appropriate choice was to not play.
“It’s such an enormous match that I knew whoever was going to return in ought to at the least have a few days discover.”
After collaborating in varied exhibition and invitation occasions throughout the Christmas and New 12 months interval, O’Sullivan participated in Group 3 of Championship League Snooker on Wednesday and Thursday final week.
However the Englishman reduce a disgruntled determine and was visibly upset throughout his round-robin defeat to Robert Milkins, the place he rattled his cue off the facet of the desk earlier than apologising to his opponent.
O’Sullivan duly pulled out of the occasion earlier than his final league encounter, having misplaced 4 of the 5 video games he had performed up till that time.
A day later, it was introduced that he could be withdrawing from this 12 months’s version of the Masters as nicely.
It represents the sixth match that O’Sullivan has withdrawn from throughout a troublesome 2024/25 snooker season during which he has failed to succeed in any finals.
The seven-time world champion will moreover must make a change to utilizing a unique cue upon his return to the baize.
O’Sullivan snapped his cue in half following his untimely exit on the Championship League final week in Leicester.
“Nicely, it was in a bin – one in every of them wheelie bins,” he stated. “However my mate stated which you could’t go away that right here, so he form of bought it out and introduced it with us.”
“However no, I’ve bought a few different cues that I’ve bought to begin practising with, as a result of clearly there are some tournaments arising.
“I’m going to proceed to play, so I have to get used to the cue now.
“That is an unbelievable match. It’s the highest 16, one of the best gamers on this planet, an incredible crowd.
“I’ve received this match many occasions, I’ve been in like 14 finals. I’d love to return right here and play once more, and hopefully I’d be fortunate sufficient to win the trophy once more – that’d be nice.”
Neil Robertson was the beneficiary of O’Sullivan’s absence from the 2025 Masters draw, with the Australian coming in as a late alternative to compete on Sunday.
The 2012 and 2022 champion made essentially the most of his alternative, reeling off the final 5 frames to pip John Higgins 6-5 in a memorable opening tie this 12 months.
Shaun Murphy and Ding Junhui are the 2 different gamers via to the quarter-finals up to now following respective defeats of Gary Wilson and Mark Williams.
Featured photograph credit score: Eurosport
