13 thoughts on “The 2024 German Masters – Draw and Format”

1. So…not a tiered draw format like most hoped with the extended length of the event in Germany. Just more “held over” matches for the top guys, and the rest of the tour having to qualify six weeks in advance.

2. I’ll be surprised if Ronnie plays. Not only is this a low-prize-money event, but it also follows closely after the Masters and World Grand Prix, which would give Ronnie 3 events in 4 weeks.

   Unless he just plans to show up in Germany and have a bit of fun, without trying too hard to win.

   • I was surprised to see his name in the draw. But then, if his sponsors want him there, he’ll go.

     • Yeah, I guess I tend to forget that Ronnie’s sponsors might help to determine his schedule.

       By the way: what is all this news about him being ill? From what Shaun Murphy said, it makes it sound as if Ronnie has been quite sick, and for multiple weeks (including his time in York). As far as I know, Ronnie hasn’t mentioned illness himself…

     • And he wouldn’t. Most players don’t … because too many fans just then accuse them of “just looking for excuses”. Given that Shaun isn’t exactly Ronnie’s best pal, I tend to believe him in this instance and TBH, I’m a bit worried.

     • Yes, I would assume that Shaun has both “insider” information about Ronnie being sick as well as no reason to claim that Ronnie has been sick if he hasn’t been.

       I wonder what kind of illness he might have that would be (1) as serious as Shaun suggests, (2) not serious enough to prevent Ronnie from playing in (and winning!) the UK Championship, and (3) serious enough to be a “medical reason” for Ronnie to withdraw from the Scottish Open…

     • I’m not sure but a few years back Ronnie suffered from mononucleosis. It came and went several times. When it “flared” it made him very tired and prone to colds, light fever and stomach pain.

     • I don’t know whether it’s related or not, but I’ve recently gotten the impression that Ronnie smokes more than I realized he did. There was the recent photo from the fan who ran into Ronnie (smoking) at the bus stop in York, and there were several scenes of Ronnie smoking in “The Edge of Everything”, including scenes that appeared to show him smoking in between sessions or during intervals at the 2022 World Championship.

       I wonder how snooker players who smoke are able to keep themselves from coughing at the table, or when their opponent is at the table…

     • Like many, he smokes more when he is stressed.

     • Yeah, I gather that stress is a trigger for many.

       On a somewhat-related note, I wonder if Ronnie is still interested in health and nutrition and such. He went through that phase a few years ago (including writing the recipe book) where he seemed to be very excited about discovering healthier eating, but we don’t hear anything about that from him anymore. Part of that might be because he’s not nearly as active on social media now as he was back then, but I also wonder if perhaps he has reverted a bit to his previous eating habits.

       The only food I hear him talk about now is “M&S scones with cream”, and I occasionally see him cooking up some meat. He doesn’t seem to be interested in anything healthy these days…

   • I love that he smokes, he’s old-school, he’s one of us, it adds to the persona

     • I don’t know how smoking squares with all that running, but he certainly looks good with it. Personally I’m happy the cookbook and healthy food talk phase is over.

     • When he’s healthy and runs a lot, and doesn’t need to play he doesn’t smoke (much). He actually hates it that he’s addicted to it. But when he’s stressed he can’t help himself. He’s tried to stop any number of times. Manages for a few weeks or even months, but when the stress is back, so are the fags.