‘Don’t worry about me’ – Hong Kong’s Marco Fu assures fans after undergoing eye surgery that will keep him out ‘for some time’

Hong Kong snooker star Marco Fu Ka-chun has announced he is taking a break “for some time” after undergoing laser eye surgery to correct a retina problem.

Posting on his Facebook page on Sunday, the recently turned 40-year-old world No 9 said he had been experiencing “some problems” with his left eye and was told by a doctor that he had been suffering from retinal degeneration.

Fu revealed that he had undergone surgery and will play no play in competition in the coming months as he rests his eye. Fu has been playing as a professional for 20 years and had no previous problems with his eyes. He did not say how long he will be sidelined.

“I regret to tell you that I will not be giving out any interview for now and shall arrange an online session to take questions in the near future. Thank you for your support,” wrote Fu on his Facebook page.

“I’ve had discomfort in my eye and the retinal degradation of my left eye was determined after medical examination and diagnosis. I have undergone laser surgery so no worries! The doctor has recommended that I take a rest to avoid any chance of a retinal detachment,” he added.

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“2018 is an important year for me personally as this is my 20th anniversary as a pro snooker player.”

Fu has received a flood of support from his fans with more than 1,600 likes on his Facebook page within two hours of posting of his video message.

Fu’s announcement came after being thrashed by five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Masters last week at Alexandra Palace. The Hong Kong cueman lost 6-0 to the Englishman in the last 16, prompting snooker legend Stephen Hendry to comment that Fu was made to look like an amateur player.

Ironically, O’Sullivan claimed that he was feeling dizzy against Fu and that he was “really struggling”.

“I don’t know if I have got a virus or something and I just feel very dizzy. I was just playing off instinct,” said O’Sullivan after defeating Fu. “I was thinking, ‘Don’t stop, just pot balls’. I was really quite struggling and have been like that for the last five or six days.”

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Fu is coming off a slightly disappointing 2017 campaign where he failed to reach a semi-final of any ranking tournament. The previous year, Fu enjoyed a banner year, winning the 2016 Scottish Open for his third ranking title while reaching the semi-final stage of the World Championship for the second time in his career.

His best result of 2017 came at the Hong Kong Masters, a non-ranking tournament, where he reached the last four in the eight-man tournament.