Ronnie O'Sullivan has 'intimidated' fellow players with his recent performances, according to former snooker star Neal Foulds.
Foulds claims the Rocket has got into the head of his rivals following his record-extending eighth Masters title.
O'Sullivan triumphed at Alexandra Palace on Sunday with a comeback win over Ali Carter.
The 48-year-old trailed 6-3 but came back to win 10-7 and write his name in the record books yet again.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been accused of intimidating his opponents
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He has since been caught up in a feud with Carter, where O'Sullivan hit back in a furious X-rated rant.
The pair will both be back in action at the World Grand Prix in Leicester on Tuesday.
Carter plays Wu Yize in his first-round match from 3pm, while O'Sullivan takes on Pang Junxu in the evening.
The tournament started on Monday, with Mark Selby getting off to a winning start after edging past Yuan Sijun 4-3.
Selby was not happy with his performance, telling ITV: "I fell over the line. I didn't deserve to win in the end, and I was lucky to get over the line."
Foulds has a theory as to why Selby struggled to get past Yuan in a nervy decider.
The pundit claims O'Sullivan's recent form, as well as his 'snarling' towards his rivals, has made an impact on fellow players' mentality.
O'Sullivan won the UK Championship in December and is on course to win the three Triple Crown tournaments in the space of six months, with the World Snooker Championship on the horizon in April and May.
Foulds said: "I've got a theory about it.
"The O'Sullivan factor has affected a lot of other players.
"He was the top dog Mark Selby for a long time, and now Ronnie has emerged again.
"Mark's not the only one. They're all a little bit intimidated by Ronnie snarling at them, and beating them all.
"And he's almost baying for more. Tonight he [Selby] looked almost lacking in confidence.
"When it went 3-3, it was anybody's and he almost fell over the line because balls were missed.
"In the end, he got there. It was all a struggle.
"He knows how to win, Mark, but he made a meal of it tonight."
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Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter have clashed since Sunday's match
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O'Sullivan let fly at Carter after the Masters finalist criticised the Alexandra Palace crowd and called out his opponent for 'snotting all over the floor'.
The Rocket said Carter 'needs to sort his f*****g life out' and said he is a 'f*****g nightmare' to play against.
O'Sullivan also taunted his snooker rivals on Saturday following his semi-final win over Shaun Murphy.
He claimed the younger players have 'slow' brains and questioned why they can't beat him while he is suffering from physical issues.
He said: "I don't feel that old. I know my age is but I feel young in my mind, I feel young when I'm round the table.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the last two Triple Crown events
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"I feel a lot younger around the table than I do when I'm playing these young players, but they look old!
"Their brains are quite slow. I still feel like my brain is still pretty quick around the snooker table, which is enough.
"They need to get their acts together because I'm going blind, I've got a dodgy arm and bad knees!
"They still can't beat me!"
