John Higgins believes Ronnie O'Sullivan's latest withdrawal from the Welsh Open was due to the seven-time world champion getting used to a new cue before the World Championships.
It's been a season to forget for O'Sullivan as he's failed to reach the final of a single event.
The 'Rocket' has also opted to skip events at the last minute, his latest coming this week at the Welsh Open.
It's raised concerns about whether O'Sullivan is preparing to step away from the game for good.
Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from the Welsh Open this week
PA
But Higgins, who beat Graeme Dott and Rob Milkins to reach the last-16 of the Welsh Open, believes his long-time rival is potentially focusing more on practice than tournament play for the time being.
"I think he’ll be back," Higgins said.
"I think obviously it’s well-documented with his cue.
"I think he’s one of the sort of guys who will not want to turn up to an event and not be used to the new piece of equipment that he wants to use.
"I think he’ll be putting the hours in behind the scenes and getting himself ready for the last part of the season, without a doubt."
O'Sullivan lost his temper at the Champions League last month, whacking it on the table during his loss to Milkins before snapping it into pieces later on.
He subsequently pulled out of the Masters, despite being the reigning champion.
Speaking after his withdrawal from the Masters, O'Sullivan revealed he was preparing to practice with some different cues.
John Higgins is confident Ronnie O'Sullivan will be back
Getty"It [the cue] was in the bin, one of them wheelie bins, and then my mate said, ‘look, you can't leave that there’, so he got it out and brought it with us," he said.
"But I've got a couple of other cues that I’ve got to start practicing with, because obviously some tournaments coming up, so going to continue to play. So I need to get used to the cue now."
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Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to be back in action at the World Open
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O'Sullivan is scheduled next to be in action at the World Open in China as the season draws to a close.
He'll also be expected to play in the World Grand Prix, which has moved from being hosted in England to Hong Kong this year.
O'Sullivan was granted residency in Hong Kong last year through the city's Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.
