Featured Image Credit: BBC Sport
Topics: Snooker,
Ryan Smart
Footage has resurfaced of the incident that sparked the feud between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter amid the pair's verbal duel following the Masters final.
O'Sullivan beat Carter 10-7 to win the Masters for the eighth time in his career on Sunday.
'The Rocket' ended the first session 5-3 down, but roared back in the final session to win seven out of the final eight frames.
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O'Sullivan admitted that part of his thinking was to 'see if he [Carter] had the bottle to get over the line', with 'The Captain' having previously failed to win a Triple Crown ranking event title.
But while the immediate post-match comments from both players caused some tension, things went up a gear in the media conferences.
Carter sensationally accused O'Sullivan of 'snotting all over the floor' during a frame, and called him out for 'outrageous' behaviour.
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O'Sullivan fired back, launching into a verbal tirade at his Masters final opponent.
He said that Carter 'has got issues' and 'needs to sort his f***ing life out', before telling him he 'needs to grow some balls'.
Their feud dates back several years, with a major incident occurring at the 2018 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.
The pair were playing a second round match at Sheffield, which Carter went on to win 13-8.
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But with the scores at 10-8, O'Sullivan put Carter in a snooker with only colours remaining on the table.
As he returned to his seat, however, the two players were seen barging shoulders.
Carter looked slightly bemused by the incident as he addressed his shot, while O'Sullivan returned to his seat and watched on.
You can watch the incident below.
Carter, a five-time ranking event winner, claimed that O'Sullivan had apologised to him over the incident before the following year's World Championship: "This was some months later, and he came over to me, he doesn't need to speak to me, he came over and said, 'Ali, I'd just like to apologise and there's no hard feelings', and he shook my hand.
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"So I thought to myself, 'Hats off to the man' ... it's all water under the bridge and he's a good guy."
O'Sullivan later denied he had issued an apology, causing Carter to tell Metro in 2021: "Well look, whatever makes him happy. I must have imagined it then.
"It really makes no difference to my life whatsoever whether he apologised or whether he didn't. I don't care, whatever makes him happy.
"But I'm not going to make it up. Someone's making it up and it's either me or him, so take your choice.
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"I generally know what I'm saying on a day-to-day basis. But maybe I got it wrong? It's a mystery."