Ronnie O’Sullivan: ‘Drained and stressed’ snooker star withdraws from Champion of Champions title defence

Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Champion of Champions due to “mentally feeling a bit drained and stressed”.

O’Sullivan was due to play his opening match of the tournament in Bolton on Wednesday.

But O’Sullivan will not feature at the Champion of Champions, which he won last year.

“Hi guys, just wanted to let you know I’m unfortunately withdrawing from the Champions of Champions event tomorrow,” said O’Sullivan on X, formerly Twitter.

“Mentally, I feel a bit drained and stressed and I want to look after my mental health and my body. I’m sorry to all the fans but I’ll be back.”

O’Sullivan beat Judd Trump in last year’s Champion of Champions final.

The world No. 1 could return for the UK Championship, which starts on November 25 in York.

Allen won the tournament when it was played behind closed doors in 2020.

Zhang will be heading into the event on the back of winning the International Championship.