Why are Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins missing English Open in Brentwood as defending champion Neil Robertson chases record title?

Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins are the two most notable omissions from the world's top 16 to sit out the English Open in Brentwood. The former world champions are both missing from the first of the Home Nations Series events of the new season, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ between September 11-21, but why are they opting out as two-time winner Neil Robertson defends the Steve Davis Trophy?

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Ronnie O'Sullivan's decision to opt out of the English Open in Brentwood is probably as much about replenishing reserves than banking resources.

The six-figure cheque earned from reaching the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters, losing 10-9 to Neil Robertson in a classic encounter last month, has certainly provided O'Sullivan with options in terms of ranking points for the remainder of the season, but there is more to picking and choosing tournaments than merely pounds for points.

In such a respect, the seven-time world champion would not have to play again for the rest of the campaign after departing Jeddah with £380,333 in total.

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That included a whopping £180,333 bonus, for making two maximum breaks across the sport's self-styled four majors - he made two in his semi-final against Chris Wakelin in Saudi Arabia - along with two thirds of the prize for tournament high break.

The dangers of burn-out are very real in any sporting sphere, and snooker is no different from golf or tennis despite the physical demands being eminently kinder on the joints. The mind continues to be a more difficult instrument to master.

O'Sullivan turned professional as part of the sport's fabled "Class of '92" alongside John Higgins and Mark Williams, figures with 14 world titles between them who show no signs of creaking with cue in hand, as they all celebrate bringing up the big 50 in 2025.

This is a long way from the six-time Crucible winner Steve Davis. His last ranking title came at the 1995 Welsh Open, and he was aiming to remain inside the top 16 when he turned 50 back in 2007.

O'Sullivan is fourth in the world, Williams is fifth and Higgins sixth with Robertson's £500,000 win over O'Sullivan in Saudi Arabia nudging him inside the top three. Only Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson are ahead of the Australian in the standings.

It is a remarkable ongoing showing of consistency, dedication and desire after four decades at the cue face, but it is also easy to perhaps forget how long this trio have been potting balls in darkened rooms, man and boy.

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An amazing 33 years and counting would make anybody wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze when you lose your mojo.

It was a point aired by Higgins during his recent trip to China for the Wuhan Open when he spoke about entering a phase in his career where no other player, apart from O'Sullivan and Williams, has boldly gone before.

Ray Reardon remains the oldest winner of a ranking event at the age of 50 in 1982, but the demands of the modern game are a world away from the golden televised era when men such as Reardon were set largely within the confines of the UK.

Despite reaching the quarter-finals in Wuhan, losing 5-3 to Gary Wilson in the last eight, Higgins revealed that he was struggling for motivation in the wider picture.

His recent 5-3 defeat to Liam Pullen in the first round of qualifying for the Xi'an Grand Prix was probably not all that surprising given the context of his previous remarks.

"As you get older, it is putting the effort in on the practice table," said Higgins, who won the World Open and Tour Championship to end a four-year barren run at the end of last season.

"It is really tough. You've been in a dark room for 40-odd years. I'll play this event and take a month off, hopefully refreshed and reenergised and with a better mindset, but just at the moment everything is quite down.

"There's not many players who have got to this stage of their careers, and still competing, and still going over and over the same things."

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O'Sullivan has also never been a huge fan of competing in leisure centres, but at least the Brentwood Centre does not provide a looming battle with the formidable indoor bowlers of Crawley.

Reaching the final in Saudi Arabia has provided the snooker GOAT with options, in much the same respect as globe-trotting golfers, and getting his priorities right is part of earning the right to picking and choosing.

It's about finding value in the challenge. Armed with a fresh cue, he is due to compete in the British Open in Cheltenham before the month is out, but the Xi'an Grand Prix, International Championship, Champion of Champions and UK Championship are likely to be his main focus this side of Christmas.

There has been talk of O'Sullivan not making the Champion of Champions, but it would not be a major surprise if an elite invitational event finds room for the biggest draw in the sport based on his lofty world ranking and his record as the most prolific winner of the competition.

Meanwhile, Robertson returns to Brentwood to defend his English Open title, but even his preparation for the tournament has been disturbed by flying back to his native Australia to collect a lifetime achievement award for services to snooker.

It is incredible to think the Melbourne man did not qualify for the World Championship at the Crucible in April 2024.

After defeating Wu Yize 9-7 in last year's final, he will begin his quest for a record third English Open title against Sunny Akani on Tuesday at 7pm, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

He joined O'Sullivan in opting out of the Wuhan Open after his £500,000 title triumph in Jeddah, but admits the demands of air travel continue to place a strain on the system.

"It seems strange to be bouncing from Shanghai to Saudi, back to the UK, back to China - when we were just there - and now back to the UK," Robertson told the BBC.

"The travel expenses are an awful lot, not to mention the constant adjustment to jet lag.

"It's very tolling on your body to constantly switch between these zones.

"It's a lot of bouncing around and your body can only take so much of that, and it's very tough."

One man who appears to be finding life less tough is 2023 world champion Luca Brecel, who despatched Jimmy White 4-1 on Saturday with breaks of 51 and 95 to book a meeting with Hossein Vafaei in the last 64 on Monday.

Brecel lost 9-6 to Mark Selby in the 2022 English Open final only months before rampaging to victory at the Crucible, but finds himself at 41st in the latest rankings after struggling to cope with the demands.

After missing the first three events of the new season, Brecel quit his Xi'an Grand Prix qualifier trailing Sunny Akani 2-0 last week, but appears to be back in the game. Brecel beat Liam Davies 4-0 in Northern Ireland Open qualifying soon after.

The benefits of breaks in snooker are never merely measured solely on the table.