Luca Brecel battling mystery illness as doctors baffled - 'Body is doing strange things'

Former world champion Luca Brecel has opened up about his mysterious illness that has kept him away from the sport. The 30-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals at the English Open last week, has been an irregular figure this season due to health issues. It marked his first appearance since the World Snooker Championship in April.

Brecel previously withdrew from the Saudi Arabia Masters qualifiers and missed the Wuhan Open, prompting speculation over his absence. There were rumours that he was taking a break for mental health reasons, but the Belgian has now clarified the situation.

"Some people have come up to me and said 'oh, is it mental health?' and they have tried to help," Brecel told The Sun.

"It's not my head. I'm perfectly happy. I'm fine. It's not mental. It's physical things in my body. Strange. I've been to the doctor many, many times, maybe 18 times in three to four months.

"There must be something wrong but they cannot find anything. I have to deal with it. At least I can play again. I'm happy to be at the table.

"All of a sudden it happened and no-one knows what it is. Still trying to figure it out, I've still got scans to do. It's my body doing strange things.

"Obviously because I wanted to feel good first, and then compete in tournaments, so I've been waiting to feel better. And it didn't quite happen. So I thought, well, I'm just going to play now. Whatever happens, I'm just going to play, whatever I feel.

"I feel okay in the game. It's not every moment of the game, but it's good enough. I've not been able to do exercises obviously with all the problems.

"I was really at quite a good point, doing long-distance running and cycling, so it's a bit of a pity that that happened. But obviously this is life. It's going to be ups and downs."

Brecel reached the pinnacle of snooker in 2023, defeating Mark Selby at the Crucible to secure his first and only world title.

However, he now sits at just 41st in the global rankings, with his fitness struggles having taken a significant toll. Should he slip outside the world's top 64, Brecel would face Q School in January.

For the moment, he remains unconcerned about such a possibility, knowing he can participate in additional tournaments to accumulate ranking points.

Snooker icon Ronnie O'Sullivan remains a staunch supporter of Brecel and isn't troubled by his recent absences.

Speaking earlier this year, he remarked: "I believe someone like him is so talented that he doesn't need to play brilliantly to win."

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