Ronnie O’Sullivan’s absence from this week’s British Open owing to “medical reasons” has been a major loss for the tournament. It coincides with reports of a breakup with his girlfriend, actress Laila Rouass.
The world No. 116 player from Thailand, Manasawin Phetmalaikul, was supposed to play the snooker ace on Monday at Cheltenham; however, amateur Lewis Ullah entered the draw at the last minute, much to the dismay of the supporters.
The 48-year-old is taking a sabbatical before his scheduled participation at the Wuhan Open in China on October 6 amid what appears to be a trying time in his personal life. He has recently been active, making appearances at the Xi’an Grand Prix, the Saudi Arabia Masters, and the English Open.
Last week, O’Sullivan’s rumored breakup with his longtime girlfriend Laila Rouass made headlines. After dating for almost ten years on and off, the couple are rumored to have reached a rough patch, which was made worse by O’Sullivan’s demanding travel schedule for snooker matches.
In spite of these rumors, O’Sullivan and Rouass were photographed on Saturday morning close to their Essex house, raising the possibility of a reconciliation. The roles that Rouass is most recognized for are those of Sahira Shah in Holby City and Amber Gates in Footballers’ Wives. It was revealed in July of this year that she would be joining the EastEnders cast, and in August she will make her screen debut.
O’Sullivan, who is well-known for his open talks about mental health issues, has stated that he would rather compete globally since he finds that audiences abroad are friendlier than those in the UK, according to the Mirror.
At the close of the previous year, he said, “Some of the tournaments in the UK don’t feel special.” “My goal is to compete in the top tournaments alongside the best players.”
O’Sullivan has withdrew from eight UK tournaments since the start of the previous season and has only made one appearance in the British Open since its 2021 resuscitation. He had hinted at retirement following his humiliating 4-2 defeat to He Guoqiang in the first round of the English Open. This is his most recent withdrawal.
“I’m terrible, it’s embarrassing,” O’Sullivan admitted after the game. “I miss a lot of balls.” Poor me, I can’t escape it, yet I’m powerless to stop it. For the past four or five years, I’ve been missing balls, but every now and then, I might miss a few fewer and get a few outcomes.”
“I’m completely worthless. Disregard the Worlds. To be honest with you, I don’t really care. If I’m going to play badly, I might as well play with my left hand. Alternately, play right-handed, be useless, and not enjoy it, or play left-handed and enjoy it but be useless.”
“I’m not playing well enough, I haven’t got enough time, and it’s pointless to even worry about it.” Just now, I’ve