What’s wrong with Ronnie O’Sullivan as he withdraws from next week’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong?

Last month, Ronnie O’Sullivan apologised for withdrawing from several events and said: "I've been trying to prioritise my health and wellbeing, which sometimes means making last-minute decisions not to play.”

He also said: "It's never an easy decision and I hate letting people down.

"I realise plenty of people who bought tickets to some recent snooker events will have been frustrated when I withdrew, so I just wanted to say sorry.

"I'm doing what I can to get back to my best, and I'm grateful for all your support and understanding."

The last time Ronnie O’Sullivan played on the World Snooker Tour (WST) was in January but he withdrew midway through the Championship League group after snapping his cue after losing four of his five matches. He can no longer qualify for this month’s Players Championship and Tour Championship events but will be eligible to play at the World Snooker Championship in April.

When it comes to Ronnie O’ Sullivan’s personal life, he split with his fiancée actress Laila Rouass in December. She took to Instagram at the time and wrote: “Break ups can strip you down to your essence. I got through mine by using pain as fuel to take control because no matter what, we will lose parts of ourselves in relationships. It’s normal, don’t beat yourself up. One thing I’m conscious of not doing is trying to get back to what I was. No, I'm discovering who I’ve become.

“I’ve gone through various emotions…hurt, pain, anger but what I’ve realised about anger is that it’s bottomless. It can go on and on and once you’re in that black hole…it’s very hard to drag yourself back out. Anyone going through a break up…I want to tell you that you will come out the other side. I have and I feel so much better, stronger and sexier.”