Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of the Masters on the medical grounds.
The 49-year-old won the event for a record-extending eighth time a year ago, beating Ali Carter 10-7 in the final at Alexandra Palace.
However, there will be no ninth title this year for O’Sullivan, after the World Snooker Tour announced he had withdrawn.
O’Sullivan had been due to face John Higgins in his opening match on Sunday, but has now been replaced in the draw by Neil Robertson.
The Masters is one of the biggest events in the snooker calendar, forming part of the Triple Crown. The top 16 players in the world are invited to compete, with Robertson now earning his space as he was ranked 17th at the seeding cut-off.
O’Sullivan withdrew from the Champions League earlier this week, having cut a frustrated figure.
He lost three of his four matches on Wednesday and then whacked his cue on the table during a defeat to Robert Milkins the next day, before smashing the white into a pack of reds during the deciding frame to gift victory to his opponent.
O’Sullivan opted to pull out of the event before his scheduled match against Carter, with commentator Dominic Dale revealing he has “smashed up his cue”.
Milkins confirmed as much after the match, tweeting: “Rocket must rate me, I’ve never beat him and the one time I finally did he snapped his cue in disbelief.”
He added: “Shattered into thousand pieces and was put in the bin next to coffee machine.”
