‘I’m in a bad place’: Mark Allen says career could be over after Northern Ireland Open exit
Mark Allen said he was in a “bad place” and his career could be over after losing to Jordan Brown in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast. Allen was playing his first match since his World Championship semi-final loss to Wu Yize in April, when he missed a match-ball black off the spot at 16-15 in front and went on to lose a decider. The 40-year-old has since stayed away from the tour due to personal issues that he has kept private but are understood not to relate to any repercussions from the manner of his defeat at the Crucible. After his 4-2 defeat to Brown, a close friend and compatriot who is also from Antrim, Allen indicated he is set to take another long and potentially permanent break from the sport. In an emotional interview with TNT Sports, Allen said he was “really overwhelmed”, adding: “I’m in a bad place at the minute, so even just to go out there and try was tough. This is heartbreaking to watch 🥺💔 Mark Allen admits he may never play snooker again. We’re all rooting for you, Mark 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/9v6wvWMflE — TNT Sports (@tntsports) October 20, 2026 “I think if I wasn’t playing Jordan I wouldn’t have come back. I felt like if I was going to play one last time, playing here at the Waterfront, where it all started in 2005, against one of my best mates, I thought that was a better way to sign out.” Asked if he was serious about his threat to retire, Allen confirmed his view and continued: “I’ve been flooded with support but the problems are within. I just don’t see a future with snooker in it, if I’m honest. “It’s sad to say, because it’s all I’ve loved to do since I was 12 but the last few months has been really difficult and it’s put snooker into perspective for me. At the minute I’m just trying to survive.” Allen has won both UK and Masters titles in a total of 12 ranking tournament wins, and has reached the World Championship semi-finals three times. Brown said: “First and foremost it’s just great to see Mark back playing. He obviously came through a tough time off the table and I’m with him every step of the way, like everybody is. “We’re all behind him. I miss him and I love him and we all just want to see him healthy and well and playing the game that he loves so much. He’s a great player and a great guy.” Both World Snooker Tour and the sport’s governing body, the WPBSA, have provided support to Allen and have indicated their desire to continue helping him in any way they can. Allen released a statement on social media on Wednesday saying he was doing his best to turn things around. “I have been in a mental health clinic for the last 10 weeks, finally discharging so I could attempt to play in Belfast. “I owed that to my family, in particular my daughter to see me play for what could be the last time ... I also owed it to the fans who have supported me throughout my 21 years on tour. “I also owed that to World Snooker who have been amazing from day on in all this, in particular Simon Brownell and Neil Tomkins who have remained in touch regularly, even Simon paying me a visit in the clinic itself. “I’m not okay, but I’m okay in that itself. I’ve been much worse in the last few months than you saw yesterday. I literally didn’t see a future in anything. “My daughter kept me going, the therapists, staff and all the other patients were amazing and helped me through some really dark days. “I see the light now that I couldn’t see before but I do now. I also know it won’t happen overnight. I’m a work in progress!!! My fight and determination on the table has always been there for ones to see. I need to show those same fighting qualities off it now for a while. “Please don’t detract anything from Jordan yesterday, he’s been aware of my struggles and that can’t have been easy to play in but he handled it with grace and skill as I knew he would. I am proud to call him a friend. “I hope the rest of the event is a success and I will continue my treatments going forward and then see what’s ahead. “Thank you to every single message I have received on here, instagram, Facebook, text messages and WhatsApps, I’ve seen them all but a bit overwhelmed to reply right now. Just know that they have helped me a lot but I’m not going anywhere just yet!!!! I have so much to live for and this is only the beginning of my new journey. “Also, I was not made to do any interviews, I was simply given a choice and felt I owed it to everyone to speak. The media team at WST have been incredible through all this too. “Thank you all x.”