Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from this month’s Masters with the tournament citing “medical reasons”.
The Rocket has missed an array of tournaments in recent years due to said health issues.
And O’Sullivan, who has a record eight Masters titles to his name, will not get the chance to add another to his collection after his absence at the Alexandra Palace competition was confirmed.
The 50-year-old moved to Dubai last year, meaning UK-based events were no longer right on his doorstep.
He has only played one tournament in his homeland in the 2025/26 season – the UK Championship in December, where he suffered a first-round defeat. That was his first outing in Britain since his loss to Zhao Xintong in the World Championship semi-final in May.
Instead, O’Sullivan has found himself at more competitions across Asia, featuring twice in Saudi Arabia while competing three times in China.
O’Sullivan has dropped away from the pinnacle of the world rankings but nevertheless made the cut for The Masters.
However, the seven-time world champion will not feature at Ally Pally, with the exact nature of his medical condition is not clear.
O’Sullivan was due to face Neil Robertson in the opening round on Wednesday 14 January at 7pm GMT.
He has been replaced in the draw by Chris Wakelin who was 17th seed at the cut-off point.
