Ronnie O’Sullivan withdraws from 2020 Masters
O’Sullivan has opted out of a return to Leicester (John Walton/PA Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of The 2020 Masters ‘personal reasons’ and will be replaced by Ali Carter.
O’Sullivan, the record seven-time Masters champion, has opted out of a return to Alexandra Palace in January citing ‘personal reasons’ – the details of which are currently unclear.
O’Sullivan was due to feature in the sport’s elite invitational, which is comprised of the world’s top 16 ranked players following the UK Championship, but will now be replaced by Carter – the world number 17.
Crowd favourite O’Sullivan has featured in all but one Masters tournament since 1994, winning the title on seven occasions and finishing runner-up a further six times, including this year’s defeat to Judd Trump.
He has featured in just three ranking tournaments this season, notably finishing runner-up to Judd Trump at the Northern Ireland Open, while also picking up the Shanghai Masters invitational title at the beginning of the season.
The 2020 Masters takes place from January 12-19 at London’s Ally Pally and will feature a record £725,000 prize fund.
The First Round draw is expected to be made in between sessions during Sunday’s UK Championship final.