- O’Sullivan and Carter clashed after the Masters final at Alexandra Palace last year
- Eight-time champion said after victory that Carter should ‘serve his damn life’
- The comments came after Carter took a swipe at him and the crowd for their support
Ronnie O’Sullivan put his explosive, expletive-laden tirade against Ali Carter down to “heat of the moment” but admitted he regretted the outburst.
The seven-time world champion claimed a record eighth Masters title last January after beating Carter 10-7 at Alexandra Palace in a clash that preceded a fiery war of words between the two.
Carter described the crowd – very much on O’Sullivan’s side – as “idiots” who “don’t have enough brains.”
He also claimed O’Sullivan was ‘snorting’ on the floor. The Rocket, meanwhile, hit back furiously, saying: “He needs to get his bloody life together,” O’Sullivan said. ‘I’m not going to beat around the bush anymore, with my toes on the eggshells around someone like that. He’s a nightmare.’
A year later, the 49-year-old has admitted his tirade was ill-advised, but insisted there is no long-term feud between the two men.
“It’s just a matter of the moment,” O’Sullivan said. ‘If I feel like I have to say something, I say it.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted regret over his outburst at Ali Carter after last year’s Masters final
The 49-year-old won a record eighth title after beating his old rival 10-7 at Alexandra Palace
O’Sullivan gave a middle-finger response as he engaged in his extraordinary tirade against Carter
“It’s nothing personal, it’s just heat of the moment stuff. He has the right to say what he has to say, just like me.
‘Do I regret saying it? Probably. I wish I had kept my mouth shut and been a little more polished with my answers, a little more diplomatic. But I said what I said and that’s fine.
‘They’re just words, aren’t they? He goes back to his life, his family and so do I. We just need to meet at the table. It’s not like we’re best friends, but it’s fine, we’re both pretty mature.”
Interestingly enough, the 2024 fair wasn’t the first time the couple had disagreed. In 2013, O’Sullivan started a debate about ‘burnout’ within the sport when he claimed he was ‘tired and run down’, despite not having played snooker for a year.
After losing 13-8 to O’Sullivan in the second round, Carter addressed his opponent’s excuses after claiming luck was on his side.
The bad blood also boiled over at ‘barge-gate’ at the 2018 World Cup in Sheffield. O’Sullivan punched Carter in the ribs and snapped: “That’s because I’m Mr Angry.”
They exchanged words as Carter recorded a surprise win in the last 16, one of only three in his 26 matches against O’Sullivan at that point.
O’Sullivan and Carter return to the Masters at Alexandra Palace on Sunday, which starts. The snooker legend has had a poor performance in the Championship League, retiring from the competition after losing four of his five matches.
In his final match, O’Sullivan’s series of bizarre antics, including an apparently lewd gesture and slamming his cue on the table, overshadowed his 3–2 defeat to Robert Milkins.