Ronnie O'Sullivan withdraws from The Masters following concerning outburst

Ronnie O'Sullivan, the enigmatic snooker star and reigning champion, has pulled out of The Masters citing medical reasons. He was supposed to clash with John Higgins this Sunday afternoon but will no longer feature in London's prestigious tournament.

Neil Robertson steps in as 'The Rocket's' replacement to kick off the event against Higgins.

In a statement, World Snooker Tour announced: "Neil Robertson has replaced Ronnie O'Sullivan in the draw for the upcoming Johnstone's Paint Masters."

They detailed that "Last year's champion O'Sullivan was due to face John Higgins in the opening match on Sunday afternoon, but has withdrawn on medical grounds."

Furthermore, "Higgins will now face Robertson, who was ranked in 17th position at the seeding cutoff after the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship.", reports the Express.

The Johnstone's Paint Masters is set to run from January 12th to 19th at Alexandra Palace in London.

O'Sullivan's withdrawal occurs just a day after he exited a Championship League event amidst fiery circumstances, fueling growing speculation over his future in snooker. During a match with Robert Milkins, O'Sullivan exhibited frustration by striking his cue against the table after failing an easy pot attempt.

Commentator Dave Hendon captured the moment, expressing, "That was a concern [that O'Sullivan had an easy pot] but it's not happened. The cue has taken a bit of punishment there."

He added, "He's apologising now to the referee and Rob Milkins. Just a rush of blood [to the head]."

Ronnie O'Sullivan's frustration was palpable as he lost a first-to-three game 3-2, which included a moment where he seemed to give up on the frame entirely. In the decisive fifth frame, O'Sullivan haphazardly hit the cue ball and walked away before the balls had stopped moving.

Commentator Hendon observed: "Still anyone's frame though... well, he's [O'Sullivan] literally just whacked them. He's given up I think."

It was later confirmed that O'Sullivan had withdrawn from the tournament, with Hendon stating: "Ronnie O'Sullivan we saw earlier was clearly getting frustrated against Robert Milkins. He has made the decision to withdraw from the tournament so he won't be playing his last match against Ali Carter."

The Masters will proceed without O'Sullivan, with World No. 1 Judd Trump leading as the favourite and Kyren Wilson now second favourite after O'Sullivan's exit.