BOLTON, UNITED KINGDOM. 03th Nov, 2022. Ronnie O'Sullivan vs. Zhao Xintong in day 4 Group Final matches during 2022 Champion of Champions at Bolton Stadium Arena on Thursday, November 03, 2022 in BOLTON ENGLAND. Credit: Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
What A nightmare: Master O’Sullivan has been brutally publicly disgraced and abused by his already beaten enemy” totally wrong..
Enemy of Ronnie O’Sullivan As he revealed the details of their protracted dispute, Ali Carter accused the 48-year-old of using deceptive techniques. In the wake of the January Masters final, the snooker professionals escalated their argument.
Carter later accused O’Sullivan of using the Alexandra Palace carpet to wipe his nose during the match, but O’Sullivan prevailed and won his seventh Masters title. The 44-year-old Carter was then retaliated against by the Rocket during a news conference with a foul-mouthed tirade and the middle finger.
The two collided while strolling in opposing directions at the 2018 World Snooker Championship, resulting in the iconic shoulder-barge incident that occurred six years prior. Additionally, Carter was questioned over the weekend on his feud with O’Sullivan when he appeared on Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips.
He told the Scot, “When I was 16, 17 and just starting out, we used to practise together a lot.” For as long as I can remember, he used to come over to Witham every day and play there as we practiced together.
Around the time when I went on my run and got to the semis of the Grand Prix and then won the Benson and Hedges Championship [in 1999], so obviously he helped me massively.
And I believe that the more competitive I became, the more the relationship—which I don’t want to say failed because that word isn’t appropriate—went awry. However, once we became rivals, there were occasions when he refused to greet me.
Carter said, “If he was an amateur, you’d get your cue and go like that (hold it in front of him) and push him out the way wouldn’t you,” in response to Hendry’s statement that O’Sullivan was “wanting to bully you.”
The behavior of O’Sullivan is not apparent to the broader public. He is clearly abusing his position of power when he says, “This is my table; you’re just participating.” You can feel him there all the time, as if he were breathing down your neck.
And whatever you want to call it, that’s all a part of his. And if he believes that’s what he must do to prevail, then that’s reasonable.
Subsequently, Carter mentioned Higgins as his favorite opponent and said, “I love playing John.” He plays the game like a gentleman. You can just enjoy the game and not worry about any other garbage that comes with playing certain other people because John is a great guy.
