Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Masters for the second year in a row due to health reasons.
O’Sullivan won the tournament for a record-extending eighth time in 2024, but chose to defend his title 12 months ago, citing the same reasons for his withdrawal this time.
The current world No. 8 was due to play Australia’s Neil Robertson on Wednesday, but World Snooker announced Chris Wakelin would replace the Briton instead.
O’Sullivan, who turned 50 last month, has made conflicting statements about whether he would play at Alexandra Palace, telling talkSPORT in September: “I probably won’t play the Masters this year.”
However, O’Sullivan later told The Sun in November that he would play “hopefully”, explaining that his move to Dubai last summer meant he had to choose which tournaments to prioritize.
O’Sullivan last competed at the British Championships before Christmas, where he won eight titles, but was eliminated in the first round by Yuelong Chou.
World Snooker said in a statement: “Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Johnston’s Paint Masters due to health reasons.
“O’Sullivan was scheduled to face Neil Robertson in the opening match on Wednesday, January 14th at 7pm. The draw meant O’Sullivan was replaced by Chris Wakelin, who was seeded 17th at the cut-off.”
The exact nature of the condition has not been revealed.
