Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Welsh Open just hours before he was due to make his snooker comeback.
The Rocket was scheduled to return against Jamie Clarke in Tuesday’s 1pm first-round after missing the last three tournaments. But the four-time Welsh Open winner has withdrawn at the 11th hour, with Wales’ home hero Clarke receiving a bye into the last-32 in Llandudno.
The World Snooker Tour issued a statement on Tuesday confirming O’Sullivan’s decision. It read: “Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of the BetVictor Welsh Open. O’Sullivan was due to face Jamie Clarke at 1pm on Tuesday afternoon. Clarke will now receive a bye to the last 32. The tournament in Llandudno runs until Sunday February 16th.”
O’Sullivan hasn’t played since the Championship League on January 9. The 49-year-old has been missing since he broke his cue and hit the table during his disappointing departure from that competition. He also dramatically pulled out of the Masters just over a day before his planned match with long-time rival John Higgins on “medical grounds”.
After withdrawing from his match with Higgins, O’Sullivan explained: “Yeah, it was a nightmare decision to make. You know, if you’d have asked me Sunday if was I ready to play, I probably would have been okay to play, but it’s such a massive tournament.
“I’ve obviously been on this three-week trip away playing, and I just think I exhausted myself. [There was] a lot of pressure while I was away, and I just think the build-up of all that kind of just got a bit too much, really. The right decision was not to play. It’s such a big tournament I felt whoever was going to come in should at least have a couple of days’ notice.”
O’Sullivan has yet to publicly comment on his decision to withdraw from this week’s Welsh Open. The snooker superstar has won seven world championships, most recently in 2022, with his last major victory being the Masters last January.