Ronnie O'Sullivan remains one of the favourites for the World Snooker Championship despite not having competed since January.
The seven-time world champion is seeded fifth for the tournament, which begins on Saturday.
O'Sullivan has yet to confirm whether he will participate in the event at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The 49-year-old has been an ever-present at the championship since turning professional in 1992.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is seeded fifth for the tournament
PAHe would be aiming for a record eighth world title in the modern era if he decides to compete.
Bookmakers have installed "The Rocket" as one of the leading contenders for the crown.
O'Sullivan has not featured on the World Snooker Tour since withdrawing from his Championship League group in January.
During that event, he was so frustrated with his game that he snapped his cue after losing four of his five matches.
He subsequently pulled out of the Masters in London on medical grounds.
The snooker legend also missed the German Masters and elected not to play at the Welsh Open.
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In March, he withdrew from the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
O'Sullivan has not played in anything over a best-of-seven match since his first-round defeat to Barry Hawkins at the UK Championship in November.
Despite his absence, it would be unwise to discount O'Sullivan as a potential winner in Sheffield.
Recent footage shows him completing a break in less than seven minutes with a new cue during practice.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan hasn't played since January as uncertainty continues to surround Rocket ahead of the World Snooker ChampionshipPAO'Sullivan has previously demonstrated his ability to perform without regular competition, famously defending his world crown in 2013 after playing just one competitive match that season.
He has already reached three semi-finals earlier this term at tournaments in Xi'an, Shanghai and Riyadh.
If he competes, O'Sullivan would be seeking to extend his record as the greatest player of all time.
The World Snooker Championship gets underway at 10:00 BST on Saturday, 19 April.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the World Snooker Championship on seven separate occasions over the yearsPADefending champion and top seed Kyren Wilson will be in action on the opening day.
The tournament will conclude with the final taking place over two days starting on Sunday, 4 May.
The winner will receive a prize of £500,000.
Other top seeds include Judd Trump, John Higgins and Mark Selby, who are seeded ahead of O'Sullivan.
Mark Williams, Luca Brecel and Mark Allen round out the top eight seeds for the prestigious event.
The draw for the tournament takes place on Thursday.
