Ronnie O'Sullivan withdraws from tournament on medical grounds to prolong snooker absence

Ronnie O'Sullivan will not compete in the upcoming British Open following confirmation that 'The Rocket' has pulled out of his scheduled qualifying match against Sanderson Lam next week.

A statement from the World Snooker Tour release on Tuesday revealed that O'Sullivan, 49, had withdrawn from his qualifier on medical grounds. The news comes after it emerged O'Sullivan would miss the English Open, which kicked off this week. His absence from the British Open means that Daniel Womersley, the highest available player from the 2025 Q School ranking list, will take his place against Lam.

The medical issue being experienced by O'Sullivan is unknown. The seven-time world champion has participated in both the Shanghai Masters and the Saudi Arabia Masters this year, where he reached the quarter-finals and final respectively, losing the latter 10-9 to Neil Robertson in Jeddah. His appearance in Saudi Arabia last month was his most recent outing.

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His absence from the British Open, which starts on September 22, will come as a big blow for British fans who wanted to see him live in action. Eddie Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Sport, has previously admitted that his absence affects TV ratings.

News of O'Sullivan's latest withdrawal followed a video posted on his Instagram of himself going through exercises on Instagram on Monday alongside the caption: "Exercise is so important to me. Not just for the body, but for my mindset too."

It remains to be seen if O'Sullivan will participate in the Northern Ireland Open, which takes place in Belfast next month. That would his next potential UK-based tournament and was recently in the country for exhibitions.

Despite pulling out of numerous tournaments this year, O'Sullivan scotched suggests he was planning to retire as recently as last month. Speaking after it emerged he had pulled out of the Wuhan Open. "I’ve always said I’d be the first to let you know when I’m done, finished or gone or whatever it is," the snooker legend said.

"I was getting written off in 2012 and I played probably my best snooker when I won the World Championship. I did say then: ‘Don’t ever question me. I’ll let you know when I’m done'."