Irish bootcamp for Ronnie O'Sullivan as he prepares for record-extending Masters title tilt

Record eight-time Masters champion O’Sullivan is scheduled to face world number three Neil Robertson on the evening of Wednesday 14th January at the Alexandra Palace in a blockbuster round one showdown.

'The Rocket' faced the Australian earlier this season in their memorable Saudi Arabia Masters final in Jeddah where a £500,000 top prize was up for grabs.

Having created history the day before in the semi-finals when he compiled two maximum 147 breaks within the same match and session, O'Sullivan battled back from 7-2 down to Robertson, restoring parity before later leading 9-8.

However, Robertson took the final two frames in style with breaks of 101 and 87 to secure the 26th ranking title of his career, and his highest-ever payday.

The two have played each other in big matches many times down the years, with O'Sullivan in front on the overall head-to-head record.

Four times they have shared the baize at the Masters, with the score currently standing at 2-2. Three of those contests came at the 'Ally Pally' in the capital city; Robertson won their last meeting there in 2022 with a 6-4 quarter-final result.

Will Ronnie O'Sullivan be playing at the Masters?

Speculation has been rife in recent months as to whether O'Sullivan will travel to North London to play in the 52nd edition of professional snooker's most prestigious invitational event.

In 2025, O'Sullivan relocated to Dubai, and his only appearance on British soil this current season came at the recent UK Championship where he bowed out in the first round for a second consecutive year.

During a radio interview with talkSPORT in September, the seven-time world champion said that he "probably won’t play the Masters this year" with the UK, Tour, and World Championships pencilled in his diary as his UK event appearances for this term.

However, O'Sullivan - who turned 50 last month - is in the draw and schedule for the 16-player extravaganza which takes place between January 11-18 and carries a £350,000 winner's purse.

And snooker legend Stephen Hendry believes that the Englishman will indeed feature at this year’s event. On his popular CueTips YouTube channel, the seven-time ‘King of the Crucible’ said: “Well, he is playing. He requested to play late, I think, so he’s playing Neil on Wednesday night.’

It does appear to add up and suggest that O’Sullivan is serious about playing. Due to living in Dubai and possible visa restrictions on how many days he can be in the UK, O’Sullivan may have asked competition organisers to play as late as he can in the opening round in London.

It’s very unusual for O’Sullivan to be playing an evening session at the Masters (unless it’s in the two-session final) as host broadcaster the BBC prefer him to be on in the afternoon when they have the most live coverage of the snooker on their main channels.

O’Sullivan’s practise time with one of snooker’s young rising stars

Should O’Sullivan turn up with his cue at the Alexandra Palace, it will be his first competitive appearance there since claiming his record-extending eighth Masters crown in January 2024 when he defeated Ali Carter 10-7 in the final.

O’Sullivan was due to defend his title in 2025 in the opening match of the tournament against fellow ‘Class of 92’ graduate John Higgins, but he withdrew just a few days before the match after snapping his cue in frustration following a poor Championship League Invitational campaign.

That flashpoint led to him withdrawing from a spate of subsequent events, with his next outing not coming until the World Championship in mid-April.

This year, O’Sullivan’s Masters preparation has been different. Having opted not to play in the ongoing Championship League in Leicester - although this could also be down to visa issues - he has been practising in Ireland ahead of duel with Robertson.

Photos have been posted on Facebook in recent days of O’Sullivan playing at the Celbridge Snooker Club in Leinster, with the Club’s page welcoming arguably the greatest snooker player of all-time.

Former British Open champion and Masters finalist Fergal O’Brien uploaded a photo of himself alongside O’Sullivan and former Welsh Open champion Jordan Brown from Northern Ireland with text saying: ‘Brilliant for Snooker Celbridge to have these 2 great players in the club today’.

Brown - who ousted O’Sullivan in a deciding frame to claim that Welsh Open title in 2021 - posted separately saying: ‘Great couple days practice at weekend with the GOAT. Thanks to Fergal O'Brien for sorting and to Celbridge Snooker as always for their hospitality.’

The Republic of Ireland’s number one ranked player Aaron Hill - who is one of the most improved players on the professional tour over the past 12 months having reached the English Open quarter-finals and made two 147s this season - has also been spending time on the baize with O’Sullivan.

The 23-year-old from Cork posted on Facebook: ‘Nice to get a practice session with this fella today!’