Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the British Open due to medical reasons.
The seven-time world champion was scheduled to compete in the competition next week, but the World Snooker Tour have confirmed that O’Sullivan has pulled out.
O’Sullivan is already missing this week’s English Open and hasn’t played since the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters last month.
He lost the showpiece 10-9 to Neil Robertson after playing some of the best snooker of recent times in the earlier rounds of the tournament.
The 49-year-old recorded two maximum breaks in the tournament, ensuring he banked £147,000 as a bonus prize for recording two 147s across one of the four majors.
He was set to take on Sanderson Lam in the British Open, which is scheduled to get going on September 22.
In a statement, the WST said: “He has been replaced in the draw by the highest available player from the 2025 Q School ranking list, Daniel Womersley.”
The exact reason for O’Sullivan’s absence remains unclear, but on Monday, he posted a message on Instagram, which said: “Exercise is so important to me. Not just for the body, but for my mindset too.”
When will O’Sullivan return?
Apart from the event in Saudi Arabia, O’Sullivan has had a very on and off season.
The Englishman has only competed in seven matches across two tournaments, electing to miss the majority of the rest of the events.
Before the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, he made it to the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters before losing to Kyren Wilson.
But in the Middle East, O’Sullivan looked back to his best.
He steamrollered Joe O’Connor 5-0 in his first game before slamming in two centuries against Chang Bingyu in the next round.
Then came a quarter-final against Wilson, and the Essex-born star recorded three centuries to set up a semi-final versus Craig Wakelin.
Wakelin is one of the most improved players on the tour, but he was no match for the might of O’Sullivan.
The snooker legend rattled home his two maximum breaks and four more centuries in a stunning display.
Then came the final against Robertson, with O’Sullivan’s level slightly dropping, but he was still excellent, and a final-frame decider was needed to crown the Australian the champion.
After the game, O’Sullivan said: “Neil deserved to win, he was the better player. I just tried to hang on to him and make a game of it.
“I was pleased to do that, he was outplaying me at 7-2.
“When I came here I would have been happy just to win a couple of matches. I was pleased with my performances.”
But given his absence since, it isn’t clear when he’ll decide to return.
The next major tournament on the schedule is the Xi’an Grand Prix in early October, which O’Sullivan will be able to compete in.
