Mark Allen update issued amid snooker star's three-month absence from tournaments
Mark Allen is 'doing okay' amid his ongoing three-month absence from snooker, according to his close friend Jordan Brown - who admits he is worried about him.
Allen, a former Masters and UK Championship winner, has withdrawn from every tournament since losing in the World Championship semi-finals to Wu Yize at the beginning of May. That means he hasn't played at all during the 2026/27 season, which began in mid-June.
The World Snooker Tour have stated that Northern Irishman's absence is down to personal reasons, having confirmed last month that they were in contact with both Allen and his representatives. He is still listed as being set to compete against Brown, who won the Welsh Open in 2021, at the Northern Ireland Open on October 20 - and the latter has now spoken out about his status.
Jordan Brown issues Mark Allen update
Speaking to Metro, Brown said that he had been 'checking in' on his friend Allen, with the Northern Irish pair regularly practicing together.
He added, however, that he doesn't know whether Allen will be playing against him in two weeks' time, stating that 'The Pistol' has 'things to sort out'.
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"All I do know is he is doing okay," Brown said. "I've been checking in on him. I honestly don't know if he's going to play or not [at the Northern Ireland Open]. If he does play it will be great for the local crowd. It'll be great to see him back playing. We all want to see him back.
"Personally, I miss him. I worry about him, because he's one of my best friends. We all hope to see him back soon and playing the game that he loves, because he's a great player and a great guy. The main thing is he's doing okay.
"He obviously has things to sort out so we all hope he'll be back at the table soon.
"If I play him then great, and if he doesn't play I get a bye. It's obviously not how you want to go on, but I'll take anything right now in my ranking position."
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What Mark Allen has said about snooker hiatus
Allen has not posted to his Twitter account since July, but did issue a brief statement following his decision to withdraw from the China Open and Wuhan Open in August.
"I am gutted to miss these two events in China and my apologies to the fans and promoters in Taiyuan and Wuhan," he stated.
'I love playing in China and appreciate the support we always get there, but there are personal reasons why I can't make it this time. I hope to be back playing in China later this season."
Despite being absent for the entire season to date, Allen is still comfortably inside the top 16 of the World Snooker Tour rankings.
He currently occupies 12th place in the rankings, having collected £536,050 in prize money over the rolling two-year period. The cut-off figure is currently £359,100, which is the amount of prize money earned by 17th-placed Zhao Yuelong.
Topics: Snooker
Ryan Smart