Regarding his latest withdrawal, Ronnie O’Sullivan said, “I wouldn’t do that.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan, the world number one, has been criticized for withdrawing from events due to health concerns. He has cited health concerns on six occasions since the summer, missing his defence of the Champion of Champions and five ranking events. The most recent withdrawal was for the Scottish Open, just over a week after his eighth UK Championship victory in York. An official announcement from the World Snooker Tour on the latest O’Sullivan no-show didn’t come until Monday morning, but O’Sullivan confirmed different reports that he had pulled out the day before. He stated that he is feeling alright and has recovered from the UK Championships, which were a hard tournament.
I was extremely disappointed because I love this event, this city, and this location, but I wasn’t quite ready to come and play here at the Scottish Open.
Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out of the World Snooker Tour on Sunday night, despite the expectation that he would leave the tournament at the last minute. This decision had a significant impact on the draft of a replacement top-up. Amateur Steven Hallworth, who was contacted by the World Snooker Tour to play in Edinburgh, expressed disappointment that he would have driven straight there if he could have made it. O’Sullivan’s absence would have had a damaging impact on promotion and ticket sales, leading to opponent Liam Graham receiving a bye. Alfie Davies, son of former professional Anthony Davies, was another player asked on Monday morning but couldn’t make the trip to Scotland in time.
Scottish Open champion Graham is unhappy with the recent withdrawal of O’Sullivan, who pulled out late from the event. He expressed his disappointment to the many people who took time off work to watch the match, stating that it was disrespectful and not right. Graham believes that he would have stayed at home and those who traveled to watch him would have come another day. The Scottish Open is still in the hunt for the title, with the semi-finals taking place on Saturday. Home favourite John Higgins faces Noppon Saengkham, while reigning champion Gary Wilson faces Zhou Yuelong. The final on Sunday will be the last chance in 2023 for silverware to be won, with an £80,000 top prize for the champion.
