Ronnie O'Sullivan admits 'nightmare' situation led to Masters withdrawal - 'Losing the plot'
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Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan has revealed that exhaustion and pressure from a three-week playing trip led to his withdrawal from the Masters tournament.
The 49-year-old, who was set to defend his title, explained his decision just hours after pulling out on Friday, having snapped his cue in frustration during the Championship League last Thursday.
O'Sullivan confirmed he is 'alright' and plans to continue competing with new cues in upcoming tournaments.
O'Sullivan's frustrations came to a head during the Championship League when he lost to Robert Milkins on Thursday.
Ronnie O'Sullivan pulled out of the Masters earlier this month
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The incident led to him 'losing the plot' and snapping his cue, rendering it unplayable.
After the outburst at the event in Leicester, O'Sullivan withdrew from both the Championship League and subsequently the Masters.
The decision sparked initial concerns about his mental health, though he later assured fans he was 'not too bad'.
Speaking to Eurosport on Monday evening, O'Sullivan described the withdrawal as 'a nightmare decision really to make'.
"I'd been on a three-week trip away playing and I just think I exhausted myself, a lot of pressure while I was away," he said.
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"If you'd have asked me Sunday if I was ready to play I'd probably have been ok to play. But it's such a massive tournament."
The build-up of pressure 'got a bit too much' for the seven-time Masters champion.
Addressing the fate of his broken cue, O'Sullivan revealed it initially ended up in a wheelie bin.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan snapped his cue out of frustration in a build-up event to the Masters
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"My mate said we can't leave that here, so he got it out and brought it with us," he explained.
"I lost the plot on Thursday, snapped my cue, so that's unplayable, so I knew at that moment in time the right decision was to not play and such a big tournament that I thought whoever was to come in should have had at least a couple of days notice.
The snooker champion confirmed he has alternative cues ready for upcoming competitions.
"I've got a couple of other cues that I can start practicing with because there's some tournaments coming up. I'm going to continue to play so I need to get used to the cue now," he said.
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Despite the recent setback, O'Sullivan expressed his enduring admiration for the Masters tournament.
"This is an unbelievable tournament, top 16, best players in the world, amazing crowd," he said.
The champion, who has reached 14 finals in the competition, shared his aspirations to return.
"I'd love to come here and play again and hopefully be lucky enough to win the trophy again, that would be great," O'Sullivan added.
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