Reason why Ronnie O’Sullivan isn’t playing at German Masters after third straight withdrawal
Reason why Ronnie O’Sullivan isn’t playing at German Masters after third straight withdrawal
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Ronnie O'Sullivan is missing the German Masters for the third consecutive year, citing medical reasons for his absence. Only last week did the 49-year-old Rocket announce this decision, despite having been lined up to face Welsh rising star Dylan Emery in the opening round. Such a move follows O'Sullivan's pattern of opting out of events on the WST circuit this term, notably having previously pulled out of the Championship League after four group games and the prestigious Masters due to exhaustion.
The seven-time world champion is no stranger to skipping the Tempodrom event in Berlin, which is slated to take place between today (January 27) and Sunday (February 2) this time around - so fans might not find the news entirely unexpected. The World Snooker Tour confirmed the withdrawal in a statement: "Ronnie O'Sullivan has withdrawn from next week's Machineseeker German Masters due to medical reasons.".
Earlier this month in Leicester, after losing four of his five Championship League group matches, O'Sullivan chose to sidestep his final group game against Ali Carter. He made the announcement just hours before he was pencilled in to take to the baize.
Later in January, with a match-up against the great John Higgins at the Masters looming, O'Sullivan again stepped down, revealing to Eurosport the reasons behind his decision to not compete at Alexandra Palace. "Yeah, it was a nightmare decision to make," O'Sullivan confessed. "You know, if you'd have asked me Sunday if was I ready to play, I probably would have been okay to play, but it's such a massive tournament.
