With the Grand Prix just days away it seems increasingly unlikely that 2006 world champion Graeme Dott will be involved as he struggles to recover from the arm injury that he sustained playing football in Shanghai last week.
According to SkySports, Dott has been told that he will have to stay off the table for the next eight weeks, something that Graeme acknowledges would be a disaster for his ranking which already sits provisionally at number 50:
“It’s not looking good at the moment,”
“I’m going to give myself every chance to play, but it’s still pretty painful.”
“I knew it was pretty bad when I did it, but I was hoping it was going to be a sprain instead of a break,” the world number 13 added.
“I went straight to a hospital and they recommended I have an operation when I got home, which I did. Whatever I did, I had to have a plaster cast on my wrist.”
“I wouldn’t be devastated if I missed the tournament, but I’d be pretty upset, especially because it’s in Glasgow.
“If I do pull out then I’ll probably have to miss the following tournament, the Bahrain International, which would be a nightmare for my ranking points.”
The good news for Graeme is that although he has not yet been credited with the 700 ranking points that he would have earned from his first round exit in Shanghai, past precedents should ensure that he receives these points at some stage, lifting him up to 42nd in the provisional rankings.
If he were to miss out on the Grand Prix and the Bahrain tournament however, things would really not look good for him as he would be almost certain to lose not only his place in the top 16, but possibly even the top 32 as well.
Hopefully he can get well soon and give himself a fighting chance.