‘I had long-time feud with Ronnie O’Sullivan but now it’s best if I keep my mouth shut'

Ali Carter has pledged to stay tight-lipped after his highly-publicised spat with Ronnie O'Sullivan. The snooker stars, who once shared a practice table in their youth, saw their relationship sour over the years, culminating in a notorious shoulder barge incident during the 2018 World Championship.

Tensions then flared during this year's Masters final when Carter accused O'Sullivan of "snotted on the floor" during their clash at Alexandra Palace. O'Sullivan retorted during his post-victory press conference, telling Carter to sort his "f*****g life out" and branding him a "nightmare" opponent.

Carter has since been measured in his responses. Opening up on Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips, Carter, also known as The Captain due to his passion for flying, quipped that O'Sullivan's name is forbidden in his snooker room.

The 45-year-old remarked: "To be fair, I don't know too much about him, I say what I see. I hold no malice now really. I'm not around him enough for him to feature in my life. We know he's a great snooker player and all that, but as regards to anything else, I couldn't tell you.

"I let people make their own minds up. Whatever you say, the staunch Ronnie fans will always slaughter you. I choose to keep my mouth shut."

Discussing the deterioration of his once close bond with O'Sullivan, Carter revealed: "We used to practice together loads when I was 16, 17, just turning pro. He used to come over to Witham and he played there every day for quite a few months as far as I can remember and we were practising together.

"[It was] 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 Championships [in 1999]. Obviously, he helped me massively."

"I think the more competitive I got, the more the relationship sort of not went wrong because that's not the right word. It's difficult to describe. But, when all of a sudden we're competitors, I'd find times where he wouldn't say hello."

Addressing the infamous shoulder barge which O'Sullivan gave Carter at the Crucible six years ago, The Captain said: "We touched shoulders before the second incident. So we’re sitting [close] together, it’s so tight [at the Crucible]. I became aware that the first one, he was walking back [to his seat] but there is plenty of room to go like that [walk past each other].

“I was aware that we’d touched shoulders on the way past and I'm thinking, ‘Does he want me to go like this, or like that?’ [leans out of the way]. I don’t know, if it was courteous you’d just go like that [moves to one side], but I was aware there was no giving way. The second time, he’s given it that to me [mimics shoulder barge]. I thought ‘Oh, god, what’s going on here?’