Ronnie O'Sullivan became embroiled in an extraordinary war of words with Ali Carter after their snooker Masters final, with the No. 1 telling Carter to "get his bloody life in order" after he was accused of "snorting" on the floor.
The duo have history following a shoulder chip incident at the 2018 World Championships - the only time Carter O'Sullivan has defeated in a major tournament - and there was clear tension during Sunday's match at Alexandra Palace.
O'Sullivan stated: "I love seeing it when their bottle goes empty" after Carter missed a string of chances in the closing stages of his 10-7 defeat before taking offense to some of his beaten opponent's comments after the match.
"A few things have happened that are going unnoticed," Carter said.
"Well, they don't go unnoticed, but anyone with sight or a brain can see what's going on. And it's downright disgusting. Nobody wants to say anything, right? Sniffling all over the floor and stuff.'
O'Sullivan, who had previously criticized what he called the "freezing...disgusting" state of Alexandra Palace, waved a middle finger at the press conference after hearing Carter's claims. "As far as I'm concerned, he can sit on it," O'Sullivan said. "I don't give a fuck. You know what he is like, everyone knows what he is like. He has problems.
"F...why is he having problems with me? I do not have it. I don't care, grow some balls. I don't give a f-. The more he gets into it, the more I punish him every time.
'He's just digging a grave for himself. He needs to get his damn life in order. I haven't spoken to him in twenty years.
"I played with him when he was little and shared a lot of things with him. I'm not going to beat around the bush anymore, tiptoeing around someone like that. Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He's not a nice person.
"It's not a nice atmosphere he leaves around the table. I've said my piece. I don't care.... End of press conference? I guess you've made headlines, haven't you?'
The story continues
O'Sullivan had previously dubbed Carter 'Mr Angry' during their Crucible clash in 2018 and has also beaten Carter twice in the World Cup finals. Carter and O'Sullivan both hail from the snooker hotbed of Essex and, with only four years of age difference, have played against each other regularly for the past 25 years.
Carter fired back at O'Sullivan on Tuesday as he returned to action at the World Grand Prix in Leicester, insisting his latest opponent was unwell.
"Ronnie is entitled to his opinion. I just said what it is and how it was and I talk about facts. It's that simple," Carter told ITV.
"It doesn't matter to me what he says - he says different things on different days. I don't think he even knows what comes out of his mouth at certain times.
"I actually feel a little sorry for him. I don't think he's that good. So we move on and this week we go again."
Carter had also hit out at the Ally Pally crowd, branding them 'idiots' as a rowdy atmosphere led to the referee having to give repeated warnings. After leading 6-3, Carter lost six of the last seven frames and O'Sullivan seemed to enjoy the manner of his comeback. "I just had to keep Ali honest," he said. "I thought: 'Let's see if he has the bottle to get over the line'. That was the only thing that turned me on tonight.
"I thought, 'Let's get it to the point... where I want to see if it's shaking.' I love seeing it when their bottle is empty. I love it."
O'Sullivan returns to the table on Tuesday evening at the World Grand Prix in Leicester, where he was drawn against China's Pang Junxu. He then plans to take some time off before attempting to win a record eighth World Championship and complete the grand slam of a season of major tournament victories, having also won the British Championship last month. O'Sullivan is both the oldest and youngest winner of a Triple Crown event.
Sunday night also marked his 23rd 'major' victory, extending his all-time lead over Stephen Hendry to five. Carter was bidding for his first Triple Crown victory.
O'Sullivan vs. Carter is snooker's Ali vs. Frazier: The Top Five Rivalries in Sports
1.Muhammad Ali vs. Joe FrazierBefore their 1971 "Fight of the Century," Ali called Frazier "too ugly to be a champion" and "a gorilla." Ali could have taken it all as a joke, but Frazier was deeply offended and his side of the feud would continue long after their third fight, the 1975 'Thrilla in Manila', in which Ali had the upper hand but said he felt close to death.
Ali's biographer Thomas Hauser said it reached a point where "fighting for the championship of each other" meant more to them than the heavyweight championship of the world. Ali would later apologize repeatedly for the abuse he directed at Frazier, but his great rival remained largely unmoved. "I hated Ali. I hated that man," he said.
2. Tonya Harding vs. Nancy KerriganIt's been exactly 30 years since one of the biggest scandals in sports history took place. Kerrigan and Harding were both preparing for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships ahead of the Winter Olympics later that year when Kerrigan was struck in the knee by a baton in the knee shortly after completing a practice routine in Detroit.
It later emerged that the attack was planned by Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly. Harding pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution - meaning she knew who committed the attack, but only afterward, and did not immediately report it. Kerrigan would still win a silver medal in 1994, while Harding was banned for life by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
3. Ian Botham v Ian ChappellAny hope that a feud that began in a Melbourne bar in 1977 would finally end seemed to evaporate last year when Botham and Chappell reunited for a short documentary.
After years of trading verbal barbs, Chappell could barely bring himself to look at Botham. "Things don't change," Botham said. "Why would they?" Chappell replied. They then accused each other of telling lies before Botham stated: "I should have finished you off when I had the chance". The meeting, held at 67 and 79 respectively, lasted less than five minutes.
4. Brian Clough vs. Don RevieTwo of the most prominent managers of the 1970s collided as their respective teams, Derby County and Leeds United, battled for the top flight of English football. Clough repeatedly condemned Leeds' playing style and tactics before being unexpectedly selected to succeed Revie at Elland Road when the latter became England manager. After Clough had spent just 44 days in the role, the two men memorably went head-to-head in a live television debate on ITV.
5. Ayrton Senna vs. Alain ProstTwo of the greatest F1 drivers of all time also happened to be teammates in the late 1980s. There were repeated collisions both on and off the track, most memorably the Japanese Grand Prix's of 1989 and 1990, when the World Championship was twice decided after they collided.
They would end up racing for different teams, with Senna not particularly impressed by Prost's perceived desire to drive a superior car. "He's behaving like a coward," Senna said. "It's like you're doing a 100-meter sprint, and you want to have running shoes, and everyone else should have lead shoes."
