Ali Carter 'bans' Ronnie O'Sullivan's name from his practice room as snooker star lifts lid on fractured relationship

Ali Carter said he holds no malice towards long-term nemesis Ronnie O'Sullivan - but not before he joked his rival's name is BANNED from his practice room.

Carter and O'Sullivan go back as far as the late 1990s when they were practice partners and turned pro around the same time. But their relationship has soured over the years - in 2018, they knocked shoulders at the table at the Crucible, with Carter branding him 'Mr Angry' as he grinned at the crowd. Things took another turn at the 2023 Masters, with O'Sullivan going off on an incredible X-rated rant and demanded Carter 'sort his f****** life out' after the Rocket was accused of 'snotting' on the floor.

There's no love lost between the pair and speaking with Stephen Hendry on his Cue Tips YouTube channel, Carter was asked 'where it al went wrong' between him and Ronnie. And he joked: "He's actually a banned name in this room, we don't allow that name to be mentioned! But since you're seven-time world champion, I'll give you a special exemption.

"We used to practice together loads when we were 16, 17 and just turning pro. He used to come over to Witham, he played there every day for months. It was around the time I went on my run (in 199), got to the semi-finals of the Grand Prix and won the Benson and Hedges Championship. The more competitive I got, the more the relationship... It didn't go wrong, it's difficult to describe. All of a sudden, we're competitors. I'd find times where he wouldn't say hello."

Six-time world champion Hendry, who knows O'Sullivan well from his own days as a player, then said: "He's not the easiest person to be around. All the time I've spent with him, sometimes I go months without speaking to him. I don't know if it's deliberate, but he