RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has revealed he will return to action in Saudi Arabia next month after a three month break from snooker.
The Rocket announced he’s planning to take part in a Q&A and a practice session in Saudi just weeks before the World Championships.
GettyRonnie O’Sullivan has revealed he will return to action next month[/caption]
O’Sullivan has not played since January, when he first withdrew from a tournament at the Masters on medical grounds.
The 49-year-old has been absent since he snapped his cue and struck the table during his Championship League exit in early January
He subsequently withdrew from the German Masters, Welsh Open and World Open, all on the eve of the tournament getting underway.
That raised concerns O’Sullivan would miss the remainder of the season, including the World Snooker Championship which begins in April.
But the world No.4 has quelled those fears by revealing he will return to action at an event in Saudi Arabia on April 8.
As things stand, O’Sullivan’s next appearance in a major competition will be the big one next month – the World Snooker Championship.
Taking to social media to announce the event, he told his 564,000 followers: “Delighted to announce that I’ll be heading to Riyadh 8-10th April.
“So for exclusive coaching from the brilliant Nigel Bond, a Q&A with me as well as watching me practice please come done. I’d love to see you all there!”
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O’Sullivan also withdrew from defending his World Grand Prix title in Hong Kong last week, which is a tournament for the top 32 players on snooker’s one-year list.
The one-year list is based on the players who have collected the most prize money from THIS season.
The next two tournaments, the Players Championship and Tour Championship, are limited to the top 16 and top eight players only.
O’Sullivan is currently ranked 24th on the one-year list, so will be unable to compete in those events.
Neil Robertson claimed a clean sweep in the Grand Prix final on Sunday, as he beat Stuart Bingham 10-0 to win the event for a second time.
O’Sullivan had already apologised to fans about his continued absence from the table.
Every tournament Ronnie O’Sullivan has missed this year
Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew from
The Masters (12-19 Jan)
German Masters (27 Jan- 2 Feb)
Welsh Open (10-16 Feb)
World Open (3-9 March)
World Grand Prix (4-9 March)
Failed to qualify for (only top 16)
Players Championship (17-23rd March)
Tour Championship (31 March – 6th April)
He said last month: “I’ve been trying to prioritise my health and wellbeing, which sometimes means making last-minute decisions not to play. It’s never an easy decision and I hate letting people down.
” I realise plenty of people who bought tickets to some recent snooker events will have been frustrated when I withdrew, so I just wanted to say sorry.
“I’m doing what I can to get back to my best, and I’m grateful for all your support and understanding.”
The Brit reached the quarter-final of last year’s World Championships at the Crucible, losing to 13-10 Bingham.
Since then, O’Sullivan has made it past the last-eight stage just once, with his only semi-final appearance of the season coming in the Xi’an Grand Prix all the way back in August.
The action from Sheffield gets underway on April 19 and runs for two weeks, with the final pencilled in for May 5.
Inside Ronnie’s colourful career
FROM his lightning breaks to blasts at officials, Ronnie O’Sullivan has fired snooker into the spotlight.
The seven-time world champion makes almost as big an impact away from the table as on it.
O’Sullivan has three children – two daughters and a son.
And the Rocket’s on-off relationship with British actress Laila Rouass has also hit the headlines.
He has opened up on battles with his weight and addiction.
While the controversial cueist reckons he wasted NINE YEARS of his career by partying too hard.
Despite being worth £14million, O’Sullivan is renowned for his love of canal boats and snubbing flashy cars.
His rivalry with fellow star Judd Trump has been branded ‘snooker’s greatest feud’.
And Ali Carter had his nose knocked out of joint by the Rocket in their infamous ‘Snotgate’ row.
Check out all our latest Ronnie O’Sullivan articles.
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