Ronnie O'Sullivan has launched a blistering attack on Ali Carter in the wake of Sunday's Masters final, telling his rival to 'sort his f*****g life out'.
The Rocket has never been one to mince his words and, at a press conference, let rip in true Ronnie fashion.
"[Carter] needs to sort his f*****g life out.
"I'm not going to skirt around it anymore, tip-toeing on eggshells around someone like that. He's a f*****g nightmare.
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter have a feud that dates back to 2018
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"Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare.
"He's not a nice person. It's not a nice vibe he leaves around the table.
"I've said my piece, I don't give a s**t. I've said it now, done. You know what he's like, everybody knows what he's like.
"He's got issues. F*****g why has he got issues with me? I'm not having it.
"I don't care, grow some balls. I don't give a f**k about any of these snooker players, any of them.
"The more he brings it on, the more I f*****g punish him every time.
"He's just digging a grave for himself. I don't give a f**k. That's it, I've said my piece."
O'Sullivan was triggered by comments Carter made immediately after Sunday's epic event at Alexandra Palace.
The 44-year-old said O'Sullivan had been 'snotting all over the floor' during their blockbuster showdown.
But their feud actually pre-dates Sunday's Masters final.
Back in 2018, the pair clashed at the World Championship.
O'Sullivan gave Carter a shoulder barge at the Crucible before aiming a dig at his rival.
He said: "That’s for being Mr Angry. You shoulder barged me earlier, I thought I’d give you one back."
Carter retorted: "Thank you, it's very nice of you."
"Stop being angry then," Ronnie continued. After being told to calm down, he then said he was 'cool as a cucumber'.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan was accused of 'snotting all over the floor' by Ali Carter after Sunday's Masters final
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Carter proceeded to win that clash and said O'Sullivan had 'intimidated him' in the past.
“I’ve been intimidated by him in the past," he said.
“But I’ve been through a hell of a lot in my life and I was determined it wasn’t going to happen this time.”
On the should barge specifically, he added: "It’s tight there, as you know.
"We’ve just rubbed shoulders a bit harder than what we normally would. It was heat of the moment."
O'Sullivan delivered his take on the row at the time, saying: "We had a shoulder barge earlier on in the match and I just decided that I wasn’t going to bend out of the way again.
Ronnie O'Sullivan said he was 'turned on' after beating Ali Carter in Masters final
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"If someone is going to shoulder barge into me what am I going to do?
"Walk round tiptoeing, doing little curtsies as if he’s the queen or the king? Sometimes you’ve got to stand your ground."
Fast-forward to 2024, and O'Sullivan has already got one over on his rival.
He confessed on Sunday that he was 'turned on' by breaking Carter's resolve, rubbing more salt into the snooker star's wounds in the process.
"That was the only thing that turned me on tonight," O'Sullivan told Eurosport.
"Let’s just get him to that point. I want to see if he twitches. I love seeing it when their bottle goes. I love it."
