Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from Northern Ireland Open before playing his opening match with his absence coming due to an unknown medical reason
Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of the Northern Ireland Open on its opening day – citing an unknown medical reason for his withdrawal.
It means the 48-year-old has now missed a third tournament on the trot having sat out of the British and Wuhan Opens. It comes as talk of retirement continues whilst O’Sullivan takes aim at the sport’s bosses. The Rocket was set to play China’s Long Zehuang in a last-64 contest at the Waterfront Hall.
His exact reason for his absence, which was confirmed by the World Snooker Tour (WST), is yet to be revealed. O’Sullivan is next expected to feature at International Champions event in China, which begins on November 3. It remains to be seen whether he’ll participate.
The 48-year-old has not played competitively since losing in the first round of the English Open on September 17.
O’Sullivan has long had a love-hate relationship with snooker, where he is regarded as the greatest of all time. He’s previously taken on the sport’s bosses, criticising some of their decisions as well as mocking his rivals. There is talk of snooker potentially introducing walk-on music.
The seven-time world champion claimed he’d been quick to quit the sport if they did so. “Not having it,”he said. “I’d probably definitely retire! I’d be like, ‘You know what? I’m out of here now’.”
Despite that O’Sullivan admitted, whilst appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, that he wanted to come back a different player next year, adamant he has several years left in him of playing at the top.
He said: “I think I’ve got maybe, if I want it, three really good years. That depends on if I’m fully devoted to it and I’m kind of like ‘snooker is all I’m going to do for the next three years’. Which I can do.
“But it’s really hard to do when I’m sort of like: ‘I want to do a few days with Jimmy White as a pundit, I want to go and do a few exhibitions, I want to do a few shows,’ because they’re fun.
“I can still perform, I can still be a top eight player doing that but to fully give yourself the best opportunities it’s about being totally on it, you know. It’s whether I’m prepared to do that. I think I will this year, I think I’ve decided. Last year, the World Championships wasn’t a good tournament for me.
