Mystery surrounds Ronnie O’Sullivan's withdrawal from Welsh Open after brief announcement

One of the most accomplished players in snooker history, Ronnie O’Sullivan, has withdrawn from yet another tournament. The seven-times World Snooker Championship winner has provided very little in the way of an explanation though, with just a vague statement announcing the news.

O’Sullivan withdrew from the Welsh Open in Llandudno only hours before he was scheduled to play his first-round match against Jamie Clarke. The 49-year-old has not played on the tour since he withdrew midway through his Championship League group in January, snapping his cue after losing four of his five matches.

He subsequently pulled out of the Masters at Alexandra Palace, forfeiting his first-round match against John Higgins, and the German Masters in Berlin.

World Snooker Tour confirmed in a short statement: “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 is the sixth ranking tournament O’Sullivan has pulled out of this season. He is next set to compete in the World Open in Yushan at the end of this month.

While no specific reason has been cited this time around, O’Sullivan cited exhaustion as his reason for missing the Masters last month after engaging in a gruelling series of exhibition events abroad. He told Eurosport: “It was a nightmare decision really to make.

“I’ve obviously been on this three-week trip, away playing, and I think I just exhausted myself. (There was) a lot of pressure while I was away and the build-up of all that kind of got too much.

“I lost the plot on Thursday and snapped my cue so that’s unplayable, so I just knew at that moment in time, the right decision was not to play.”