Ronnie O’Sullivan’s mental health battle as icon in another withdrawal | Other | Sport
Ronnie O’Sullivan has stunned the snooker world by pulling out of the Masters for the second year in a row. The 50-year-old withdrew for medical reasons, having also done so last year after winning the event back in 2024. The world No. 8 was set to face Australian Neil Robertson in the opening round of the Triple Crown event on Wednesday, but he’s been replaced by Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin.
The exact nature of the Rocket’s medical condition has not been disclosed, with snooker fans left puzzled and speculating over yet another sudden absence. However, he had given mixed messages beforehand over his involvement, telling talkSPORT in September: “I probably won’t play the Masters this year.” He later explained he would play if he could, explaining how his move to Dubai last summer meant having to pick and choose which tournaments to participate in.
O’Sullivan, who won his first Masters crown in 1995 aged 19, has missed several other tournaments this season. They include the Wuhan Open and the British Open, citing medical reasons or the need to prioritise his mental health.
It comes after he made the “nightmare decision” not to take part in the Masters in 2025 because he was under a lot of pressure and self-confessedly “lost the plot.” He snapped his cue during the January 2025 Championship League beforehand after losing a match and withdrawing from the tournament.
He admitted in April 2025 he had been “scared to go near a snooker table” during a difficult spell and feared he had “lost his bottle,” highlighting how he was struggling with a loss of confidence. At last year’s World Championship, his anxiety “kicked off” in his first-round clash with Ali Carter, later labelling snooker a “killer of a sport.”
The last physical injury of note that O’Sullivan endured was a tear in his right arm while lifting weights in a gym. The injury flared up multiple times, leading him to pull out of events such as the WST Classic in March 2023. He also suffered from plantar fasciitis in late 2023, which required him to wear trainers during matches at the UK Championship, deviating from the usual dress code for snooker players.
O’Sullivan last competed at the UK Championship in December, where he has won a record eight titles. There, he suffered a shock 6-4 defeat in the first round to China’s Zhou Yuelong at York Barbican.
Following his elimination, the Englishman admitted he was still unsure whether he would play at the Masters and would wait to see how he felt in January. His next chance to play competitively in Britain will be either at the Tour Championship in Manchester, which begins in late March, or the World Championship in Sheffield in April.
