LUCA BRECEL will not have another competitive snooker match for at least five weeks after he withdrew from the Saudi Arabia Masters.
The former Belgian world champion pulled out of the £2.3million event in Jeddah citing “medical reasons”.
Luca Brecel lifted the world title in 2023 but fell to the Crucible curse the year laterGetty
The Belgian is one of the most talented snooker stars but has not played since April 30Alamy
The 30-year-old had been due to meet Sanderson Lam, 31, in round three on Sunday evening in the Kingdom but the Englishman has now received a bye into the fourth round.
The top 16 players, such as Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump, will enter the competition in round five on Tuesday.
It is believed Brecel will not be fined or punished for skipping the ranking tournament, particularly if he provides acceptable evidence to justify his medical situation.
The last time Brecel was involved in competition was back at the Crucible when he lost 13-8 to world No1 Judd Trump in the quarter-finals of the World Championship in Sheffield.
He did not take part in the low-key, season-opening Championship League.
And his failure to show up for a qualifier against Pakistan’s Haris Tahir in Leicester on June 22 means he has not qualified for the Wuhan Open, which starts in a fortnight.
The earliest opportunity for him to play again will be the English Open in the Essex town of Brentwood, which begins on September 11.
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Brecel was defeated by Judd Trump in the World Championship quarter-finals this yearGetty
But it would be no great surprise if he decided not to travel to the UK and remain in his homeland for a few more weeks.
Brecel is ranked 39th in the world and is in danger of his career spiralling downwards if he continues to remain inactive.
Not that he seems to care too much and he has spent the summer with his new girlfriend back home in the Maasmechelen region.
According to his Instagram account, the pair have ridden bikes together, ate good food, drank Stella, wine and cocktails and embraced time away from the baize.
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