Snooker maverick Ronnie O’Sullivan has caused shockwaves yet again by pulling out of the Welsh Open at the last minute.
Fans were waiting to watch the 49-year-old face Jamie Clarke in Llandudno during Tuesday’s afternoon session. Yet, a blunt announcement from the World Snooker Tour confirmed ‘The Rocket’ would not be appearing in North Wales, giving Clarke an automatic pass into the next round.
The WST statement said: “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.”
This withdrawal followed similarly late decisions not to compete in the German Masters and the Masters, as well as an exhibition event in Finland. As O’Sullivan’s time away from the table extended to one month, Record Sport looks at the last few weeks and what could be next.
Fiery outburst
The seven-time world champion’s most recent match was a defeat to Robert Milkins in the World Championship League last month. As well as being his most recent fixture, it is also recalled by snooker fans for the moment he snapped his cue by whacking it against the table.
Just a short while later, O’Sullivan made the decision to drop out of the Masters, a competition he has won a remarkable eight times. In detailing the reasons behind his abrupt display of frustration, he said: “It was a nightmare decision really to make, if you’d have asked me Sunday if I was ready to play I’d probably have been ok to play.
“But it’s such a massive tournament. I’d been on a three-week trip away playing and I just think I exhausted myself, a lot of pressure while I was away. The build-up of all that just got a bit too much really.
“I lost the plot on Thursday, snapped my cue, so that’s unplayable, so I knew at that moment in time the right decision was to not play and such a big tournament that I thought whoever was to come in should have had at least a couple of days notice.”
Plea to the WST
During a punditry stint covering Mark Selby’s 6-1 victory over Ali Carter at the Masters, O’Sullivan made an appeal to the World Snooker Tour, suggesting they adopt practices from football by employing mental health professionals to aid players on tour. O’Sullivan, who is open about his past struggles with depression and substance abuse, said: “I think World Snooker should have someone like in football.
“In football, they may have a masseuse sorting out injuries. In snooker they should have someone at the tournament employed if there’s someone struggling. For 10 minutes, if you need to come off the table [and talk] – I’m not saying everyone will go in there because a lot of players suffer in silence. I can tell. You just look at them and know they’re struggling.
“But they should have someone to go to and talk to. I think that’s so important. You have coaches sorting your cue action out, but really you need someone to just [help] unload a bit. I think it would really help the players. I know Shaun Murphy is part of the panel. I think they could find the money to employ someone full-time to be there for the players.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s next match
As for his upcoming commitments, O’Sullivan is due to play Stuart Carrington on February 23 in the World Open qualification round. However, recent events have shown that he may withdraw if he doesn’t feel prepared enough to compete.
O’Sullivan has already walked away from his Championship League match against Ali Carter and the German Masters contest versus Dylan Emery. Moreover, he has skipped an exhibition game with old competitor John Higgins in Helsinki.
O’Sullivan’s team cited health issues as the reason for the withdrawals, stating: “We are really sorry to have to cancel the event in Helsinki this weekend. We will work with the promoters to find a date to reschedule a show when Ronnie is feeling better. We thank all his fans for their understanding.”