Ronnie O’Sullivan is set to face his fierce rival Ali Carter in the opening round of the Snooker World Championship.
O’Sullivan is vying for a record eighth world title at the Crucible, but is yet to confirm if he’ll be competing.
In Carter, the Rocket faces the prospect of a battle with someone who he faced in both the 2008 and 2012 finals.
Thankfully for O’Sullivan, he came out victorious in both of those encounters.
More recently, O’Sullivan clinched a record eighth Masters title last January when he beat Carter to a tightly contested 10-7 victory at Alexandra Palace in January 2024.
After the game, the pair exchanged heated words with Carter lashing out at the O’Sullivan fans in attendance, calling them ‘morons’ who ‘haven’t got enough brains.’
He even accused O’Sullivan of ‘snotting’ on the floor, a claim that added fuel to the fire.
The Rocket, meanwhile, ferociously hit back, saying: “He needs to sort his f*****g life out.
“I’m not going to skirt around it anymore, tip-toeing on eggshells around someone like that. He’s a f*****g nightmare.”
However speaking in January this year, O’Sullivan said that he has no animosity towards Carter despite the war of words.
“It’s just heat of the moment stuff,” O’Sullivan admitted. “If I feel like I’ve got to say something I’ll say it.
“It’s nothing personal, just heat of the moment stuff. He’s entitled to say what he’s got to say, like I am.
“Do I regret saying it? Probably. I wish I’d kept my mouth shut and been a bit more polished with my answers, a bit more diplomatic. But I’ve said what I’ve said and that’s fine.
“It’s only words, innit? He goes back to his life, his family and I do. We only have to meet on the table, it’s not like we’re best mates but it’s fine, we’re both pretty grown up.”
That would be much easier to believe if the duo hadn’t clashed previously.
In 2013, O’Sullivan had spoken about ‘burnout’ in snooker after admitting to feeling ‘tired and jaded’.
After losing 13-8 to O’Sullivan in the second round, Carter took a jab at his opponent’s excuses, claiming that luck had favoured him.
Tensions also boiled over during the infamous ‘barge-gate’ incident at the 2018 World Championship.
This came as O’Sullivan pushed Carter in the ribs and snapped: “That’s for being Mr Angry.”
The jibe led to heated words between the two of them, with Carter claiming an unexpected victory in that contest.
However it’s seven-time world champion O’Sullivan who will go into the contest as favourite in the upcoming event at the Crucible.
The upcoming clash at the 2025 World Championship is set to take place on Tuesday, April 22 at 2.30pm.
