Luca Brecel pulls out of tournament… due to exhaustion after Crucible partying

NEW world snooker champ Luca Brecel has pulled out of the Vienna Open due to exhaustion.

The Belgian, 28, claimed a first world title at the Crucible last Monday with an 18-15 victory over Mark Selby — after a gruelling 17-day marathon in Sheffield.

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Many were surprised that Brecel honoured a long-standing commitment to the low-key pro-am event in Austria.

World No 2 Brecel won all four of his group matches 2-0 on Friday against amateur opponents and was due to face Germany’s Lukas Kleckers in the last 32 of the tournament.

But Brecel was left tired out at the end of another long day and reluctantly decided he needed a break.

His next outing will be at a special reception in his home town of Maasmechelen on May 14, at which he will be given the freedom of the town.

Last week, Brecel joked “it shouldn’t be legal” when describing how he’ll celebrate his World Snooker Championship victory.

He then partied until 4am at a private VIP bash at the Mercure Hotel, alongside his fellow snooker pros.

The event is a traditional shindig for the snooker champion and those who attended certainly seemed to make the most out of it.

Selby even had the DJ play ‘We Are the Champions’ in a wonderful gesture to Brecel.

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The Belgian wore a baseball cap and could be seen looking all loved-up with girlfriend Laura Vanoverberghe.

Her Instagram story showed the snooker star affectionately sticking his tongue towards her cheek while Queen’s hit song rang out across the venue.

Brecel, wearing a baseball cap, a DSQUARED2 top and ripped jeans, was also pictured with his arm around Selby as the pair abandoned their waistcoats and dickie bow ties.

The Belgian Bullet still had his winner’s medal draped around his neck as he smiled for the camera.

Brecel left the party at around 4am but had one final act before finally going to sleep.

He took a picture of the sparkling world championship trophy on his bed and captioned the photo “Champion of the world. Goodnight.”