Ronnie O’Sullivan says he made the “nightmare” determination to withdraw from the Masters on medical grounds after he “misplaced the plot” final Thursday.
The defending champion had been planning to go after a record-extending ninth title and was scheduled to face John Higgins on Sunday in a blockbuster opening to the event at Alexandra Palace.
Nevertheless, the 49-year-old elected to not play within the invitational occasion for the highest 16 ranked gamers after a mixture of fatigue and stress spilled out throughout a 3-2 Championship League defeat by Robert Milkins in Leicester.
‘The Rocket’, who regarded clearly annoyed, broke his cue and threw it in a bin and pulled out of his remaining group recreation later that day.
On Friday, it was introduced he would additionally miss the Masters and get replaced by Neil Robertson within the line-up.
“It was a nightmare determination actually to make,” O’Sullivan informed Eurosport.
“For those who had requested me on Sunday if I used to be able to play, I might most likely have been OK. It’s such an enormous event.”
O’Sullivan, together with a number of of his fellow elite gamers, featured in profitable exhibition occasions within the Far East in latest weeks.
These adopted on from his look on the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in Saudi Arabia in late December.
“I’ve clearly been on this three-week journey, away enjoying, and I feel I simply exhausted myself,” O’Sullivan stated.
“[There was] numerous stress whereas I used to be away and the build-up of all that form of acquired an excessive amount of. I misplaced the plot on Thursday and snapped my cue in order that’s unplayable, so I simply knew at that second in time, the suitable determination was to not play.
“It is such a giant event I felt whoever was going to come back in ought to at the very least have a few days’ discover.”
O’Sullivan has gained 41 rating occasions and 7 world titles throughout a storied profession since turning skilled in 1992 and claimed his first Masters crown in 1995 on the age of 19.
His success 12 months in the past on the age of 48 signifies that he holds information for being the oldest and youngest ever winner of the Triple Crown occasion.
He additionally determined to miss the Masters in 2020.
O’Sullivan, who confirmed that he’s now “all proper”, might want to get used to a special cue as he prepares to return to the game, having wrecked the final one.
“It was within the bin, considered one of them wheelie bins, however my mate stated we will not depart that right here, so he acquired it out and introduced it with us,” O’Sullivan stated.
“I’ve acquired a few different cues that I can begin practising with as a result of there’s some tournaments arising. I’ll proceed to play so I must get used to the cue now.”
