'Fractious and vulnerable' Ronnie O'Sullivan 'breaks cue and throws it in the toilets'
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Esteemed snooker writer, commentator and broadcaster Dave Hendon shed more light on the situation during a special episode of his popular Snooker Scene Podcast where he described a timeline of events that led to the dramatic escalation.
Following a stint on the exhibition circuit in the Far East over Christmas and New Year, seven-time World Champion O’Sullivan took part in his first competitive action of 2025 at the behind-closed-doors Championship League Snooker Invitational at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Not the highest of profile events on the professional tour, O’Sullivan was likely using the tournament as good match practice for his upcoming Masters title defence at the Alexandra Palace in London.
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However, preparations did not go according to plan for the record 41-time ranking event champion, who arrived at the Championship League with concerns over the tip on his cue which seemed to affect him playing certain shots.
O’Sullivan lost his opening three group matches - albeit some close finishes - although he managed to stay in contention for qualification by ousting Crucible finalist Jak Jones 3-2 in his final day one fixture, despite kicking out at the table during the tie and verbally branding one of his shots as ‘useless’.
Returning the next morning, the situation began to erupt during his encounter with Robert Milkins. O’Sullivan whacked his cue against the table in frame four after missing a straightforward pink - an incident he immediately apologised for - before smashing the balls in the deciding frame which allowed Milkins in to complete a 3-2 win.
It is what happened immediately after this loss that Hendon - who was at the venue commentating on the competition and heard eyewitness accounts from fellow backstage staff - reveals in the extra podcast episode.
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From between leaving the playing arena and entering the players’ room, O’Sullivan broke his cue - assumingly deliberate - and then opened the door to some toilets and threw the pieces inside. According to Hendon in the podcast, O’Sullivan was seen waving the cue about and banging it on the wall before this.
O’Sullivan quickly collected up the pieces and went to the players’ room where he threw them in the bin, before putting his coat on and saying to his entourage that he was leaving, despite having one more match in the group to play - against Ali Carter.
The cue (the pieces of it) - that O’Sullivan had apparently used for several years - was retrieved by one of his party.
A few hours later, O’Sullivan text one of the players in the group he was playing in - identity unknown - apologising for leaving the event early and altering the group standings. All the matches involving O’Sullivan were voided, meaning those who defeated him had a win removed from their overall tally.
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The player who received the message replied ‘no problem’, before O’Sullivan wished them good luck for next week at the Masters and said ‘I won’t be playing’.
The following morning, the World Snooker Tour officially announced that title holder and record eight-time champion O’Sullivan had withdrawn from the Masters on medical grounds.
It is not uncommon for O’Sullivan to withdraw from events at short notice - he has done so several times this season - but this latest incident is concerning given the circumstances around his trusted cue and the magnitude of the £1 million-plus Triple Crown event.
Whilst the event is very close to home for ‘The Essex Exocet’, in the past, O’Sullivan has expressed the added pressures and obligations he faces when competing at the Masters, and displeasure at the Alexandra Palace venue itself. It is not the first time he has missed a Masters campaign - he did so in 2013 and 2020.
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Hendon - who gave a very fair and balanced assessment of the past few days on his podcast - noted how O’Sullivan looked ‘vulnerable’ and ‘fractious’ at times during his stay in Leicester. It is well documented how O’Sullivan has suffered with mental health issues throughout his illustrious career; he has also not reached a final this season, so far, having won five titles during the preceding 2023/24 campaign and being named as the WST Player of the Year.
During its opening broadcast for the 2025 Masters, Eurosport pundit Jimmy White said that he had spoken to good friend O’Sullivan and that he was ‘fine’ and may be in the studio later in the tournament to explain what happened.
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