But O’Sullivan has since set the record straight on the claims that he was disrespectful to his opponent. “I’m feeling alright, not too bad,” he told Eurosport when asked for an update on his medical concern. “I’ve recovered from the UK Championship. It was a hard tournament and took a lot out of me so I wasn’t quite ready to come and play here at the Scottish Open.
“Which was really disappointing as I love this tournament, love this city, love this venue and contrary to what everyone said I didn’t pull out on Sunday night. I didn’t leave it until the last minute like everyone said and seems to think because I wouldn’t do that. But still happy to be here and watching a great tournament with fantastic players.”
O’Sullivan has also received surprise backing from long-time rival Shaun Murphy, who insisted that a “misunderstanding” led to the announcement of the Rocket’s withdrawal. Murphy believes that O’Sullivan did nothing wrong and was within the rules to decide against competing.
