ALI CARTER Response to Ronnie O’Sullivan massage by saying……..

Carter asserting that, in contrast to many other players, he is “not intimidated by Ronnie.”

And O’Sullivan did take a jab at his opponent before this final. He said to Discovery+, “I think he has more of a problem with me than I have with him.” “He has animosity for me. Perhaps it’s because I have an enormous trophy cabinet filled with awards.”

Picture: Getty Images)
He would have needed to remove me off the table in order for him to prevail. My attitude going into the evening was to simply see if he had it in the end and could he cross the finish line.

“Ali let me off the hook tonight even though he didn’t play well this evening. He played better this afternoon. It gave me faith that he wouldn’t take on some of the balls I had assumed he would. I basically tried to take the most from it.

“In February or March, I usually have a solid sense of whether my game is ready to win the worlds. I wouldn’t say right now that it’s excellent enough to give me confidence to win.

After the final, though, Carter gave off a gracious look of defeat and said, “He’s starting to annoy me.” I’m obviously devastated by my defeat. It’s the end, and victory is everything. I would have taken the final before I showed up here, but I have excellent things ahead of me and I’m going in the right route.

“After missing a few at the end, Ronnie performed really well, and the audience became enthusiastic. You have to accept and play the crowd when you’re playing Ronnie. Despite my best efforts, it was insufficient.

In contrast, O’Sullivan said that Carter “let me off the hook” at the evening vote. “I don’t know how I won this tournament,” he said to BBC Sport. I’ve simply tried to play with a little bit of freedom tonight, dug deep, and kept Ali accountable.