Is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing in the British Open?

AFTER a three tournament run in China, snooker returns to the UK this week with the British Open getting underway in Cheltenham. Ronnie O’Sullivan has opted to skip this tournament for the past three years, but fans wonder whether the seven-time world champion will be competing this year. Ronnie O’Sullivan’s last ranking title came at the 2024 World Grand Prix, where he beat Judd Trump in the final Credit: Getty O’Sullivan has opened up on his recent struggles that come with his snooker career Credit: PA We last saw the Rocket last week at the Wuhan Open, where he reached the semi-finals before losing 6-3 to eventual champion Chang Bingyu. O’Sullivan labelled his own performance “embarrassing” against Chang, moaning that “I just feel like I played terrible. Just another really, really, really, really, really poor performance.” Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Of the three competitions in the Far East, the final-four in Wuhan was the Rocket’s best performance – he was knocked out in round two at the China Open and beaten by Kyren Wilson at the Shanghai Masters. The 50-year-old has said he isn’t ready to “throw in the towel” on his record-breaking career just yet though and will see how he goes over the next 18 months. Is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing in the British Open? No, Ronnie O’Sullivan is NOT playing in the British Open. It is the fourth consecutive year we will not see O’Sullivan in snooker’s FA Cup style tournament. The World Snooker Tour has confirmed it’s down to medical reasons. The Rocket was due to face Mateusz Baranowski at the Centaur at Cheltenham racecourse on the opening day of the competition. Most read in Sport But his replacement has already been sorted, and Baranowski will face Mark Joyce, in a clash which now looks less intimidating for the 29-year-old Pole. Additionally, it also comes after Ronnie and his wife Laila Rouass created a joint Instagram account recently, shedding light on the struggles that come with snooker. Ronnie has spoken frequently about his depression and extreme performance anxiety – even describing a crippling stage fright that can take ahold of him Laila and Ronnie wrote: “Welcome. This is us. Unfiltered, uncouth, unhinged and unplanned.” Comment now